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CYGLOFjEDIA 


or 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/cyclopaediaofcom01deveiala 


c  wiAvnrENCE 


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.Vni.-nniiill><nk.N'i.l.'('<^N<wVnr4<. 


^         )    CYCLOPEDIA 

^ OF 

COMMERCIAL  AND   BUSINESS 

ANECDOTES- 

COMPRISING 

INTERESTING  REMINISCENCES  AND  FACTS, 

REMARKABLE  TRAITS  AND  HUMORS, 

AND 

%tAmt  ^mWi  SMittp,  m^immy  awd  mmwm^ 

OF 

MERCHANTS,   TRADERS,   BANKERS,   MERCANTILE    CELEBRITIES,   MILUONNAIEES, 
BARGAIN  MAKERS,   ETC.,  ETC. 

IN     ALL     AGES     AND     COUNTRIES. 

DESIGHED  TO  EXHIBIT,  BT 

NEARLY  THREE  THOUSAND  ILLUSTRATIVE  ANECDOTES  AND  INCIDENTS, 

THE 

PIQUANCIES    AND    PLEASANTRIES    OF    TRADE,    COMMERCE,    AND    GENERAL 
BUSINESS    PURSUITS. 


ASTOR, 

GIRARD, 

McDONOGH, 

BARnra, 

ROTHSCHILD, 

BIDDLE, 

TOURO, 

LORILLARD, 

OUVRARD, 

LABOUCHERE, 

longworth; 

PERKINS, 

BATES, 

APPLETON, 

BAYARD, 

LEROY, 

BARKER, 

LAFITTE, 

STEWART, 

RUSSELL, 

LENOX, 

COOPER, 

SHAW, 

STEIGLITZ, 

HOWQUA, 

GRESHAM, 

LOWELL, 

BUSSEY, 

GOLDSCHMID, 

PEABODY, 

MORRIS, 

VANDERBILT, 

HOPE, 

NOLTE, 

RIGGS, 

JEEJEEBHOY, 

HOTTINQUER, 

BROOKS, 

GIDEON, 

GRINNELL, 

GRACIE, 

RIDGWAY, 

SLATER, 

T,EE, 

COUTTS, 

GRAY, 

FRANCIS, 

FUGGER, 

BELMONT, 

CHILD, 

DEXTEB, 

TATTERSALL, 

MORRISON, 

HUDSON, 

WHITNEY, 

HOPPER, 

DE  MEDICI, 

LAWRENCE, 

STURGIS, 

COPE, 

ETC.,  ETC., 

ETC. 

Long  life  to  Cohmescx  !    Wlial  lires  not  through  it  t    What  ia  all  fresh  life,  all  movement,  in  reality,  but  trade,  exchange, 
gift  for  giit  I— Bkxmkb. 

Come,  Anecdots  I  with  all  thy  graces  come, 
Relieve  the  grave — to  mirtK  thy  rights  afford, 
And  crown  the  sparkling  glass  and  hospitable  board. — Cooeb. 
I  am  persuaded  that  every  time  a  man  smiles — bat  much  more  so  when  he  laughs — it  adds  lomethiiig  to  thia  firagment  of 
life.— Stsbne. 

A  dinner  of fragmmtt  i*  often  said  to  be  the  best  dinner.—"  Guesses  at  Tbctb." 


By  ERAZAR   KIRKLAND. 


SMBBLLiaBBD    WITH  PORTRAITS  AND   ILLUSTRATIVS   CUTS. 


VOL.  I. 


NEW  YORK : 
D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY,  443  &  445  BROADWAY. 

LONDON:     16    LITTLE    BBITAIN. 
1864. 


Erebxd,  aecordfng  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1864,  by 

D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 

In  the  Clerk'a  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


PKEFACE. 


The  design  and  scope  of  this  work  will  be  found  as  clearly  indi- 
cated and  as  amply  set  forth  on  the  Title  page,  as  is  requisite  to  the 
most  complete  understanding  of  the  plan  which  it  involves  and  the 
character  of  the  matter  embodied  in  its  pages.  As  there  stated,  it  is  a 
collection,  original  and  selected,  of  the  choicest,  most  striking  and 
recherche  Anecdotes  relating  to  Business  Men  and  Commercial  Pur- 
suits, from  the  earliest  trading  transactions  of  which  any  record  can  be 
found  down  to  the  present  time.  It  is  in  no  sense  intended  as  a  work 
of  biography,  history,  statistics,  or  collated  facts,  only  so  far  as  either 
of  these  has  been  found  associated,  anecdotically,  with  some  episode  of 
Business  Character  or  Dealing,  illustrative  of  the  latter  in  their  various 
aspects  of  the  gay,  the  ludicrous,  the  witty,  the  ingenious,  the  droll, 
the  original,  the  unique  —  laughter-provoking,  side-shaking,  wonder- 
exciting,  &c. ;  with  such  these  pages  abound. 

The  Anecdotes  here  given  necessarily  pertain  both  to  persons  and 
things — alike  to  the  Celebrities  of  traffic  in  all  ages  and  nations,  and  to 
the  multitudinous  Objects  which  give  to  traffic  its  name  and  import. 
Every  country,  as  well  as  people,  has  here  its  personal  representative — 
exhibiting,  in  all  their  kaleidoscopic  lights  and  shades,  the  idiosyncra- 
sies, customs,  and  animus  peculiar  to  it,  in  bargain  and  sale ;  every 
clime  its  happy  illustrations,  in  the  productions  native  to  it,  or  which 
enter  into  its  commercial  exchange :  the  whole  forming,  as  it  were,  a 
sort  of  mental  Pantechnicon,  or  Bazaar,  where  are  to  be  seen  deline- 
ated, in  endless  variety,  and  as  pictures  hung  upon  a  wall,  the  cm'iosi- 
ties  incident  to  the  genius  and  craft  of  the  Mart  ! 

Perhaps  no  volume  ever  issued  from  the  American  press  has  fur- 
nished, in  a  compendious  form,  so  fruitful  a  display  of  the  imique  and 
marvellous  in  human  nature,  on  its  commercial  side,  as  this.  Indeed,  it 
has  the  merit,  whatever  that  may  be,  of  being  the  first  work  of  the 
kind  which  has  ever  appeared,  in  this  or  any  other  coimtry,  devoted  to 
the  Humorous  -phase  of  Trade  and  Traders.  Collections  of  anecdotes 
having  reference  to  art,  science,  literature,  morals,  the  drama,  etc., — 
some  of  them  possessing  high  merit,  and  attaining  a  wide  circulation — 


•vi  PREFACE. 

have  at  different  times  been  sent  forth  for  public  favor ;  but  not  one,  it 
is  believed,  of  all  these,  has  ever  touched,  or  but  very  slightly,  the  field 
of  pleasantries  and  piquancies  here  spread  out  to  view.  Our  volume, 
therefore,  being  thus  sui  generis^  offers  no  opportunity  of  winning  praise 
by  comparison,  or  of  suffering  from  disparagement  by  contrast  with  any 
other  work  of  its  kind.  But,  however  the  fact  might  be  in  this  respect, 
it  would  not  stand  in  the  way  of  an  honest  claim  in  behalf  of  the  work, 
of  being  as  perfect  in  its  character  as  the  som-ces  of  material  available 
to  that  end  would  permit.  No  time  has  been  spared,  no  means  and 
facilities  left  unimproved,  no  expense  or  labor  withheld,  to  render  these 
pages  tempting  to  every  lover  of  pithy,  pointed,  sparkling,  and  mirth- 
ful reading. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  the  anecdotes,  witticisms,  and  memo- 
rabilia, which  are  here  presented,  of  such  monarch  merchants  as  Astor, 
Rothschild,  Girard,  Baring,  Lafitte,  Jacob  Barker,  De  Medicis,  Lorillard, 
Howqua,  Bates,  Peabody,  Lawrence,  Hope,  Touro,  &c.,  &c.,  would 
form,  of  themselves  alone,  one  of  the  most  delectable  of  volumes.  But 
these  are  only  a  few  out  of  many  scores  of  mercantile  notabilities  who 
have  flourished  during  the  past,  or  are  yet  on  the  stage  of  action,  and 
of  whom  it  is  the  object  of  this  book  to  present  the  most  hvely  and 
pleasing  incidents  illustrative  of  their  professional  character,  moods, 
and  dealings.  And  here  it  will  not  be  impertinent  briefly  to  observe, 
that,  as  every  undertaking  must  have  its  limits,  so  in  the  case  of  the 
present  work,  it  has  been  found  a  point  of  necessity  to  exercise  a  re- 
straining hand,  that  the  several  divisions  might  not  become  too  bulky 
or  difiuse.  Arising  from  this  consideration,  there  are  some  characters, 
more  or  less  noteworthy,  whose  names  are  not  here  to  be  met  with,  but 
to  which  we  would  gladly  have  given  place.  It  is  believed,  however, 
that  this  omission  rarely  involves  a  name  of  extensive  renown,  but 
appHes  rather  to  those  whose  fame,  living  or  posthumous,  is  restricted 
to  particular  localities  or  circles ;  and,  as  almost  every  business  com- 
munity, large  or  small,  is  known  thus  to  have  its  "  representative  men," 
— those  of  strongly  marked  individuaUty  in  their  calling, — it  is  apparent 
that  no  task  could  be  more  impossible  than  to  attempt  to  give,  without 
discrimination,  the  current  reminiscences  of  such  a  multitude. 

In  the  prosecution  of  our  purpose,  every  important  catalogue,  both 
American  and  foreign,  has  been  carefully  consulted,  with  a  view  to 
examining  whatever  might  promise  aid  to  our  efforts  ;  and  not  a  single 
library  of  note,  in  our  largest  cities,  has  been  left  unexplored  for  mate- 
rial, in  the  way  of  biography,  travels,  adventure — fresh,  racy,  and  rele- 
vant— in  the  preparation  of  this  work.  Besides  these  invaluable  means, 
the  best  private  sources  within  the  circle  of  men  of  letters  have  been 
resorted  to,  and  the  suggestions  and  assistance  thus  personally  extended 
have  added  greatly  to  the  pleasantness  of  our  task,  as  weU  as  to  the 
value  of  its  results. 


PREFACE.  Yii 


But  the  perplexities  attending  a  nice  discemment  in  the  selection  of 
matter  for  this  volume  have  by  no  means  been  slight.  The  first  requi- 
site, of  course,  in  the  qualities  of  an  anecdote,  is  that  of  truth.  Where 
this  is  wanting,  the  narration,  however  agreeable  or  well  told,  falls  off 
at  once  ninety  per  cent,  in  its  interest  and  import.  It  becomes  a  mere 
fable,  and  should  be  thus  entitled.  The  number  of  so-called  "  anec- 
dotes "  coming  within  this  latter  class,  and  which  might  have  had  their 
nominal  appropriateness  in  these  pages,  is  very  large ;  they  have  been 
rejected  in  every  case  where  they  could  not  stand  a  fair  test  of  authen- 
ticity. Many  others,  of  the  genuine  cast,  have  been  abridged  or  con- 
densed; and  others  still  have  been  revised  or  rewritten,  so  as  more 
nearly  to  conform  to  fact  and  reason,  or  that  they  might  appear  in  a 
more  perspicuous  dress  to  the  reader.  There  is  yet  another  class — and 
one  which  forms  an  exception  to  the  observation  just  made  with  refer- 
ence to  credibility — namely,  the  bristling  fantasise  of  commercial  satire, 
burlesque,  &c.,  which  have  been  allowed  a  welcome  place  in  almost 
every  department.  These  explain  themselves,  and  may  be  said  to  con- 
stitute one  of  the  richest  and  most  attractive  features  of  the  work. 

It  is  believed  that  the  general  arrangement  and  classification  of  this 
volume  are  scarcely  susceptible  of  improvement.  They  are  such  as  to 
relieve  the  matter  of  all  stifihess,  formality,  and  tediousness,  while  they 
at  the  same  time  open  up,  at  the  reader's  will  or  fancy,  and  in  pleasing 
diversification,  aU  the  various  spheres  and  phases  of  commerce,  business 
life,  and  its  individual  appertainments.  It  is  not  claimed,  however,  that 
there  are  no  instances  to  be  found,  where  portions  of  one  department 
might  not  as  appropriately — and  perhaps  more  so— have  had  a  place 
under  some  other  specialty.  The  difficulties  of  perfect  precision  in  this 
respect,  in  such  a  work,  are  obvious,  and  were  frequently  felt  in  the 
allotment  of  its  contents.  For  any  incongruities  that  may  thus  be 
manifest,  a  lenient  criticism  is  asked. 

Our  acknowledgments  are  due,  and  are  here  most  gratefully  ten- 
dered, to  those  librarians  in  our  principal  cities  who  have  so  freely  and 
courteously  opened  the  treasures  of  their  alcoves  to  our  use ;  and  also 
to  the  many  editors,  authors,  and  merchants,  who  have  not  only  encour- 
aged us  by  their  warm  approval  of  our  work,  but  have  favored  us  with 
their  advice  and  friendly  offices,  and  with  the  happy  effusions  of  their 
pens,  with  which  to  enliven  om*  volume. 

The  magnificent  collections  of  standard  periodical  literature,  now  to 
be  found  complete  in  almost  all  our  great  libraries,  and  embracing  full 
sets  of  the  Edinburgh,  Westminster,  Gentleman's,  Fraser's,  Blackwood's, 
Eclectic,  Harleian,  Jerrold's,  Dublin,  Punch,  Notes  and  Queries,  Cham- 
bers', Household  Words,  The  Leisure  Hour,  &c., — these,  in  addition  to 
our  American  publications  of  similar  character,  furnish  a  vast  and 
bountiful  storehouse,  inviting  and  rewarding  the  research  of  the  scholar. 
All  these  have  been  made  readily  accessible  to  us ;  and,  though  the 


Viii  PREFACE. 

labor  of  painstakingly  examining  their  contents  has  certainly  been  for- 
midable, it  has  yet  been  richly  remunerative  for  the  purposes  of  this 
volume. 

The  choice  sippings  of  Punch  will  be  relished  by  all  who  love  to 
drink  at  that  fountain  of  mirth,  satire,  and  facetiae  ;  and  Mrs.  Parting- 
ton, that  brusque  old  wit — or  witch — will  be  found  to  grace,  by  her 
weird  presence,  the  same  exhilarating  category.  The  pages  of  the  now 
venerable,  but  always  sprightly  and  inimitable  Knickerbocker,  have 
been  drawn  upon  for  some  of  those  "  saws  "  whose  teeth  always  have 
a  point ;  and  the  "  Drawer  "  of  Harper's,  that  charming  repository  of 
keen  blades  and  fancies,  has  been  approached  like  a  bundle  of  golden 
jack-straws,  from  which  we  might  extract,  here  and  there,  a  dainty 
waif,  without  taking  all.  From  the  files  of  Hunt's  and  Homans'  mag- 
azines, we  have  culled  not  a  few  of  the  admirable  morceaux  of  com- 
mercial biography  and  the  humors  of  mercantile  genius,  which  give  to 
those  serials  so  pecuhar  a  value ;  and  the  same  observation  is  pertinent 
to  the  more  youthful  Continental,  especially  the  series  of  brilliant  per- 
sonal sketches  from  the  facile  pen  of  Mr.  Frothingham.  Of  the 
writings  of  Mr.  Richard  B.  Kimball  and  "Walter  Barrett,"  from 
which  we  have  taken  an  occasional  anecdote  or  vivacious  passage,  it 
may  truly  be  remarked  that  those  authors  have  succeeded  in  imparting 
the  delight  of  romance  to  the  counting-house  themes  which  they  have 
made  their  specialty ;  and  the  great  popular  favor  which  their  works 
have  received,  evinces  the  widespread  taste  for  the  pleasantries  of  com- 
mercial literature,  under  the  inspiration  of  a  genial  hand. 

Having  wrought,  to  the  best  of  our  ability,  in  the  field  from  which 
this  Cyclopedia  of  AtfEcnoTES  has  been  garnered,  it  is  sent  forth  with 
the  consciousness  that,  whatever  defects  or  deficiencies  may  be  discover- 
able, it  has  at  least  been  the  aim  of  the  editor,  from  the  inception  of 
the  volume  to  its  completion,  to  spare  neither  time,  labor,  nor  cost,  in 
rendering  it  as  rich  and  perfect  of  its  kind  as  seemed  humanly  possible. 


INTKODUCTION. 


"  Every  class  of  readers  requires  a  book  adapted  to  »teej^."— D'Ibbabli. 


It  is  generally  admitted  by  those  qualified  to  speak  authoritatively  in  such 
matters,  that  the  term  Anecdote  may  be  used  to  designate  collections,  either 
of  the  recorded  acts  of  noted  individuals,  of  remarks  made  by  them,  or  of 
extracts  from  their  private  writings  as  well  as  their  published  works ;  or  gen- 
erally, of  particulars  respecting  them  and  their  calling — detached  incidents, 
narratives,  and  experiences ;  personal  tastes,  traits,  and  habits ;  eccentricities, 
witticisms,  «fec.,  «&c.  It  is  thus,  in  its  most  enlarged  and  comprehensive  sense, 
that  the  word  is  employed  in  this  volume,  and  applied  distinctively  to  those 
engaged  in  Business  Ptjesuits. 

Thajt  the  ancients  were  given  to  the  wit  and  raillery  conveyed  through  anec- 
dotes, may  reasonably  be  supposed  from  the  fact  that  no  less  a  person  than 
Julius  Caesar  compiled  a  book  in  which  he  related  the  ion-mots  of  Cicero  ;  and 
Quintilian  informs  us,  that  a  freedman  of  that  celebrated  wit  and  orator  com- 
posed three  books  of  a  work  entitled  De  Jocis  Ciceronis ;  and  Gellius  has 
filled  his  Noctes  Atticse  with  anecdotes  which  he  heard  from  those  distin- 
guished characters  whose  society  he  frequented  in  Rome.  Procopius  gave  the 
title  of  Anecdotes  to  a  book  he  published  against  Justinian  and  his  wife 
Theodora ;  and  other  similar  collections  of  incidents  in  the  lives  of  eminent 
men  have  been  published.  Muratori  gives  the  title,  Anecdota  Greca,  to  several 
writings  of  the  Greek  Fathers  found  in  the  libraries,  and  first  given  to  the 
world  by  him.  Martene  and  Durand  have  given  a  Thesaurus  Novus  Anecdoto- 
rum.  Becker,  Bachmann,  Heinbach,  and  others,  have  made  collections,  and 
called  them  Anecdota.  The  Orientalists,  more  than  others,  were  particularly 
fond  of  these  agreeable  collections;  and  the  fanciful  titles  with  which  they 
labelled  their  variegated  miscellanies,  sufllciently  attest  their  delight. 

The  first  eminent  person  of  modem  times,  whose  jests  and  opinions  have  in 
this  way  been  transmitted  to  posterity,  is  Poggio  Bracciolini,  who  was  secretary 
to  five  successive  popes.  He  and  his  friends  were  accustomed  to  assemble  in  a 
hall  to  discuss  the  news  and  scandal  of  the  day,  and  at  these  meetings  they 
communicated  to  each  other  entertaining  anecdotes.  The  pointed  jests  and 
humorous  stories  which  occurred  in  these  unrestrained  conversations  were 
collected  by  Poggio,  and  formed  the  chief  materials  of  his  Facetiae,  printed 
in  1470. 

One  of  the  most  curious  of  such  coUections  is  considered  to  be  the  Wal- 


INTRODUCTION. 


poliana,  founded  upon  the  life  and  sayings  of  Horace  "Walpole,  -who  was  distin- 
guished for  his  resources  of  anecdote,  wit,  and  telling  remark,  as  well  as  for  his 
epistolary  qualifications.  The  most  celebrated  of  the  French  collections  of 
anecdotes  is  the  Menagiana — the  best  known,  the  fullest,  and  most  valuable. 
Other  works  of  this  kind  that  may  here  be  named  are  the  Conversations  of 
Luther,  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson,  Selden's,  Johnson's,  6ind  Cowper's  Table 
Talk,  the  Percy  and  Arvine  collections,  &c.,  &c. 

It  would  be  a  tedious  as  well  as  profitless  task,  however,  to  go  over  the 
dusty  past,  with  a  view  to  describing  the  character,  or  discussing  the  merits, 
of  the  various  works  of  this  kind  which  have  appeared  at  difierent  times  and 
in  different  countries.  It  wfll  suffice  our  immediate  purpose  to  say,  that,  among 
them  all,  no  volume  of  anecdotes,  wit,  and  amusement,  relating  to  the  votaries 
of  Trade  and  Commerce,  as  such,  is  numbered,  notwithstanding  the  universality 
of  those  occupations,  and  the  vast  numerical  preponderance  of  those  engaged 
in  them. 

The  present  volume,  then,  may  be  said  to  be  the  first  in  the  pleasing  domain 
of  Commercial  Incident,  Novelty,  and  Humor.  And  if  it  be  true,  as  has  by 
some  one  been  remarked,  that  there  is  no  species  of  composition  so  delightful  as 
that  which  presents  us  with  personal  anecdotes  of  men  notable  in  their  peculiar 
calling — illustrating  the  genius  of  their  adaptation  to  and  success  in  such  call- 
ing, as  well  as  their  domestic  traits,  and  peculiarities  of  temper — ^then  a  claim 
for  no  small  credit  may  with  justice  be  put  forth  in  behalf  of  the  present  work, 
the  abundant  pages  of  which  are  stored  with  the  rarest,  the  best,  and  most 
striking  of  such  memorabilia.  They  will  be  found  to  be  a  "  salad  "  alike  for 
the  "  solitary  "  and  the  "  sociable  " — entertaining,  from  their  variety,  and  curi- 
ous, as  presenting  a  lively  image  of  those  whom  they  thus  portray,  in  their  most 
interesting  relations  and  doings.  If  men  reason  more  correctly  on  paper,  they 
usually  display  their  feelings  and  convictions  with  more  truth  in  that  unpre- 
meditated conversation,  and  in  those  natural  outgushings  of  wit,  which  they 
give  play  to  in  the  familiar  haunts  of  business,  and  under  the  free-and-easy 
influence  of  home  surroundings.  Few  are  so  cautious  or  artificial  that  they  do 
not  sometimes  drop  the  mask  in  the  society  of  their  friends,  and  express  just 
what  they  think  or  feel,  when  they  entertain  no  apprehensions  of  being  watched 
and  noted.  In  many  instances,  however,  anecdotes  are  to  be  regarded  rather  as 
affording  an  idea  of  the  casual  turn  of  thinking  and  acting,  of  those  whose 
conversations  they  detail,  or  whose  deeds  they  record,  than  as  authorities  for 
settled  opinions.  Thus,  a  spirit  of  contradiction,  a  wish  to  display  ingenuity, 
to  astonish,  or  merely  to  support  conversation,  may  often  lead  men  to  maintain 
ideas  in  colloquial  intercourse,  which  they  perhaps  never  seriously  held,  or  at 
least  would  be  ready  to  disclaim  on  mature  deliberation. 

It  being  the  nature  of  anecdotes  to  involve  or  exemplify  more  or  less  of  Wit, 
it  is  well  for  those  who  use  or  listen  to  them  to  bear  in  mind  that  such  an  ele- 
ment is  rarely  calculated  to  have  any  influence  on  reasoning,  other  than  to  dis- 
turb it.  To  determine,  however,  the  precise  character,  or  to  give  a  definite 
meaning,  to  the  term  wit,  is  indeed  difficult.  According  to  one,  both  fancy  and 
judgment  are  comprehended  under  that  name  ;  but  this  idea  is  far  from  being 
the  one  generally  adopted,  and  the  word  has  perhaps  passed  through  more  sig- 
nifications, than  any  other  in  the  English  language.  At  one  time,  it  used 
to  denote  a  superior  degree  of  understanding,  and  more  particularly  a  quick 
and  brilliant  reason;  but  it  came  subsequently  to  be  regarded  as  consisting 


INTRODUCTION. 


XI 


in  lively  and  ingenious  combinations  of  tbought;  and  was  afterward  very 
neatly  described  to  be  such  an  assemblage  of  ideas  as  will  give  deligbt  and 
surprise;  and  from  this  it  has  ultimately  come  to  be  regarded  as  ludicrous 
surprise. 

But,  in  addition  to  the  pleasure  to  be  derived  from  anecdotes  on  account  of 
the  wit  which  may  characterize  them,  and  which  carries  with  the  recital  both 
relish  and  stimulus,  there  is  also  the  very  active  element  of  Curiosity,  in  the  con- 
stitution of  the  human  mind,  and  which  craves  and  welcomes  every  opportunity 
of  gratification.  This  feeling  of  curiosity  oftentimes  rises  to  eagerness  and 
enthusiasm.  There  is  an  anxiety  to  know  all  that  is  possible  to  be  learned  of 
those  who  have  occupied  a  prominent  position  in  their  sphere  of  life.  It  is 
not,  merely,  that  every  circumstance  derives  value  from  the  person  to  whom  it 
relates ;  but  an  apparently  insignificant  anecdote  often  throws  an  entirely  new 
light  on  the  character  of  a  man's  actions.  Great  deeds,  though  they  shed  a 
broad  and  lasting  lustre  round  the  reputation  of  those  who  have  achieved  them, 
yet  occupy  but  a  small  part  of  the  life  of  any  individual ;  and  mankind  are 
never  unwilling  to  penetrate  through  this  bright  halo  surrounding  one  or  more 
illustrious  deeds,  to  see  how  the  interior  or  remaining  intervals  are  filled  up ;  in 
a  word,  to  look  into  the  every-day  details,  to  detect  incidental  foibles,  and  to 
ascertain  what  qualities  such  persons  have,  or  had,  in  common  with  the  great 
mass  of  men,  as  well  as  distinct  from  them. 

D'lsraeli  very  philosophically  remarks,  that  "  every  class  of  readers  requires 
a  book  adapted  to  itself."  It  was  in  this  conviction  that  the  book  now  offered 
to  that  numerous  and  influential  portion  of  every  community — the  Business 
class — ^had  its  origin ;  fortified  by  the  well-known  fact,  that  anecdote  forms  an 
element  of  positive  force  and  profitable  effect  in  the  transactions  of  the  count- 
ingroom  and  shop — as  much  so,  perhaps,  as  in  any  other  profession.  And  why 
should  it  not  be  so  ?  An  anecdote  in  point,  occurring  to  a  man  of  business, 
when  he  is  plying  the  arts  of  trade,  whether  as  buyer  or  seller,  will  naturally 
give  spur  to  his  thoughts,  and  perhaps  be  the  means  of  balancing  things  in  his 
favor,  when  all  other  expedients  and  every  other  recourse  would  have  proved 
unavailing.  This  is  a  principle  as  rational  as  truth  itself,  and  the  value  of 
which  will  be  found  most  amply  unfolded  in  the  contents  of  this  volume. 

That  all  pleasantries  ought  to  be  short,  has  long  since  passed  into  an  axiom. 
Due  regard  has  been  paid  to  this  sentiment,  in  the  preparation  of  these  pages. 
Nor  has  it  been  any  part  of  the  purpose  of  this  volume,  to  make  it  a  mere  lum- 
ber room  of  the  relics  and  dotage  of  far-back  ages — a  few  things  good  and  fresh 
mixed  up  with  many  stale  and  inferior  wares.  A  special  characteristic,  too,  of 
mercantile  or  business  men,  is  that  of  action — of  ready  doing,  rather  than  loqua- 
cious talking ;  a  quality  of  which  Rothschild,  of  the  Old  World,  and  Qirard, 
of  the  New,  may  be  cited  as  memorable  examples.  Anecdotes  are  brief,  or 
should  be— all  over  in  a  short  time ;  and,  if  they  hit  the  mark,  the  object  is 
gained.  This  collection  treats  of  the  business  classes  on  a  similar  plan :  their 
acts,  sayings,  achievements,  fortunes,  customs ;  shop  talk  and  "  conversations 
commercial ; "  curious  annals  and  interesting  data  in  all  the  departments  of 
trade ;  all  the  turnings  and  windings  of  mercantile  life ;  apt  maxims,  ingenious 
or  philosophical  thoughts ;  testimonies  and  examples  of  virtues,  of  vices,  and 
of  abuses,  in  all  their  ramifications ;  types,  pictures,  and  images ;  signs,  shows, 
and  wonders ;  all  things,  in  short,  that  have  either  wit,  or  humor,  or  sparkling 
ideas  in  them,  or  a  more  original  or  novel  spirit  than  ordinary,  here  enter  as 


Zll 


INTRODUCTION. 


ingredients,  and  are  interwoven  in  pleasing  variety — a  distillation  of  whatever 
is  pointed  or  pungent — the  milledulcia  extracted  from  the  choicest  and  innu- 
merable sources. 

The  opening  department  of  this  volume — that  which  presents  Business 
Celebrities  in  their  more  distinctively  biographical  aspect — forms  one  of  the 
most  interesting  of  the  series.  It  is  the  vestibule,  or  porch,  as  it  were,  to  the 
rest ;  and  the  endeavor  has  been  to  arrange  it  with  that  care  and  completeness 
which  should  distinguish  matter  of  such  a  character.  To  render  biography 
generally  attractive,  it  is  indispensable  that  its  basis  should  be  that  of  truth. 
Without  this,  it  necessarily  wants  the  great  superiority  of  the  narrative  of  real 
events  over  that  of  mere  fictitious  creations ;  viz.,  that  of  recording  what  has 
actually  occurred  in  real  life.  How  important  an  element  this  is  in  awakening 
the  sympathies,  may  be  seen  in  children,  who,  when  particularly  fascinated  by 
any  story  they  are  told,  almost  invariably  end  by  asking,  "  But  is  it  all  true  ?  " 
The  fact,  also,  that  biography  deals  with  personal  characters,  admits  of  its 
expansion  into  many  topics,  both  interesting  and  amusing.  As  the  delineation 
of  character  is  its  object,  and  the  events  of  individual  life  its  principal  subject, 
it  not  only  admits  of,  but  requires  a  thousand  incidents  and  descriptions,  which 
are  essential  to  a  right  understanding  of  the  characters  portrayed.  Such  details 
enable  the  reader  to  clothe  the  characters  in  which  he  is  interested  in  the  actual 
habiliments  in  which  they  were  arrayed ;  they  bring  before  one's  eyes  the  busi- 
ness occupations  and  resorts,  the  dwellings,  the  firesides,  the  traits  of  domestic 
association,  and  other  data,  which  go  to  make  up  the  warp  and  woof  of  life. 

Nor  is  it  less  instructive  than  pleasant,  to  be,  as  it  were,  introduced  thus 
familiarly  to  the  companionship  of  men  who  have  been  or  are  distinguished  in 
the  sphere  occupied  by  them.  If  they  be  men  of  sterling  and  intrepid  quali- 
ties, it  is  a  privilege  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the  motives  of  their  actions,  to 
follow  them  from  their  starting  point,  to  mark  the  difficulties  and  opposition 
they  encountered  in  their  struggle  for  advancement — the  energy  and  skill  by 
which  they  were  overcome,  and  the  courage  that  animated  them  to  persevere  in 
their  efibrts.  By  their  failures,  also,  warning  is  obtained  of  the  various  quick- 
sands and  dangers  that  beset  the  path  of  commercial  life. 

Thus  considered,  the  lives  of  noted  business  men  supply  abundant  and 
striking  material  for  the  pen  of  the  writer.  It  is  true,  that  only  here  and  there 
does  such  a  life  present  itself  among  that  class — so  full  of  versatile  and  remark- 
able experience — as  to  afibrd  substance  for  an  elaborate  and  formal  biography. 
Such  as  the  latter  have  sometimes  been  written,  exhibiting  a  most  frugal  pro- 
portion of  kernel  to  shell — mere  rivulets  of  fact  in  meadows  of  verbiage,  and 
bringing  positive  discredit  both  upon  the  author  and  his  subject.  But,  not- 
withstanding this,  there  are  very  many  characters  which  afford,  respectively, 
some  trait,  habit*,  or  individuality,  capable,  when  presented  in  a  lively  manner, 
of  furnishing  entertainment  and  profit  in  the  highest  degree ;  as  the  numberless 
specimens  here  spread  out  before  the  reader  will  attest. 

It  may  safely  be  asserted,  that  no  character  of  fiction,  made  ever  so  dazzling 
by  the  imagery  of  the  novelist,  presents  to  the  mind  such  marvels  as  may  be 
found  in  the  solid  realities  of  experience  pertaining  to  an  Astor,  a  Rothschild, 
a  Lawrence,  a  McDonough,  a  De  Medicis,  a  Girard,  and  their  compeers,  the 
chronicles  of  whose  great  and  unfaltering  career  loom  up  so  conspicuously  in 
these  pages.  Nor  is  the  mind  less  startled  at  the  history  of  the  magnificent  suc- 
cess of  a  Morris,  a  Law,  a  Lafitte,  a  Goldschmid,  a  Fordyce,  a  Hudson,  and 


INTRODUCTION. 


ZIU 


others,  and  their  subsequent  downfall  and  ruin.  Not  only  are  such  narratives 
adapted  to  intellectually  impress — to  captivate,  to  excite,  to  confound,  to  arouse 
to  wonderment,  to  amuse — but  they  may  be  made  subservient  to  positive  profit ; 
in  business  parlance,  they  may  "  be  made  to  pay  I "  An  aquaintance  with  the 
ways  and  means  which  have  characterized  the  career  of  successful  business  men 
— their  apt  sayings,  or  more  apt  silence ;  their  penetration  of  human  character) 
and  art  of  imperceptibly  influencing  its  sensibilities  and  moods  to  their  own  ends; 
their  genial  sallies  and  happy  repartees;  their  shrewd  plans,  skilful  combina- 
tions, ingenious  finesse,  and  general  modus  operandi  of  "  turning  a  trade ;"  such 
an  acquaintance  cannot  but  be  a  capital  desideratum  to  all  who  move  in  a  kin- 
dred path. 

The  plan  which  has  been  adopted  of  dividing  the  contents  of  this  work 
into  different  sections,  each  devoted  to  a  particular  specialty,  is  one  which  wiU 
enable  the  reader  to  strike  easily  at  every  salient  point  in  the  anecdotical  field 
of  commerce  and  commercial  character  thus  spread  before  him.  Of  the  bear- 
ings of  the  first  department,  we  have  already  spoken ;  the  others  admit,  sev- 
erally, of  similar  explanatory  detail  with  respect  to  their  prescribed  object  and 
the  illustrations  afforded  by  their  contents.  But,  not  to  attempt  to  specifically 
portray  or  analyze  the  features  of  each  department  by  itself,  into  which  this 
volume  is  divided — the  fascinating  data  which  open  up  in  the  memorials  of 
world-renowned  merchants,  bankers,  and  millionnaires — the  arts  and  humors  of 
money  dealing — the  captivating  examples  of  success  based  on  the  practice  of 
the  more  rigid  qualities — the  low  craft  and  bold  criminalities  both  of  ancient 
and  modem  traffic — ^the  whims  and  ingenuities  of  business  phraseology — the 
unique  thoughts  and  things  pertaining  to  commercial  transit — the  curious  phe- 
nomena of  trade  and  merchandise  in  their  legal  bearings — the  exhibition  of  the 
private  or  domestic  side  of  mercantile  characters — the  novelties  and  erratic  expe- 
dients characteristic  of  bargain  makers  in  different  countries — the  vagaries 
and  hazards  of  insurance — the  incidents  of  clerk  life,  shop  experience,  &c.,  to- 
gether with  the  variegated  jottings  of  trade  and  its  votaries,  as  related  to  "  the 
rest  of  mankind ; " — without  attempting  to  depict  the  results,  or  point  out  the 
peculiar  entertainment  presented  by  each  one  of  these,  separately,  it  may  be 
remarked,  in  conclusion,  that  perhaps  the  portion  of  this  volume  which  ex- 
hibits the  phenomena  of  commercial  dealings  in  their  most  extraordinary  de- 
velopments, is  comprised  in  the  recital  of  the  manias,  bubbles,  panics,  and 
delusions,  which  have  from  time  to  time  swept  the  business  world  like  a  tor- 
nado, carrying  before  it  the  verdant  like  chaff,  and  ultimately  the  most  sagacious 
and  wary. 

Now  that  those  delusions  are  past,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  mercantile 
men  could  be  led  to  entertain  such  visionary  expectations,  and  to  pay  immense 
premiums  in  distant  and  hazardous  undertakings,  of  which  they  knew  little  or 
nothing.  A  blind  ardor  seemed  to  take  possession  of  men's  minds;  every 
rumor  of  a  new  project  was  taken  at  once  as  the  presage  of  sudden  and  inex- 
haustible wealth.  People  supposed  they  were  forthwith  to  lay  their  hands  on 
treasure  that  waited  simply  their  bidding.  The  rise,  in  many  cases,  exceeded 
cent,  per  cent.  Many  who  were  most  eager  in  pursuit  of  shares,  intended  only 
to  hold  them  for  a  few  hours,  days,  or  weeks,  and  then  profit  from  the  advance 
which  they  anticipated  would  take  place,  by  selling  them  to  others  more  credu- 
lous or  bold  than  themselves.  The  confidence  of  one  set  of  speculators  con- 
firmed that  of  others.    Meanwhile,  the  indiscriminating  rapacity  of  the  public 


Xlv  INTRODUCTION. 


was  fed  by  every  conceivable  art.  Madness  ruled  the  hour.  The  poor  and  the 
rich  rushed  wildly  to  invest  their  all ;  and  even  mendicants  rolled  proudly,  for 
a  while,  in  fictitious  wealth  !  But,  as  in  all  such  cases  since  the  world  was,  the 
shadows  of  doubt  began,  in  time,  ominously  to  cast  themselves  athwart  this 
bright  picture,  and  soon  deepened  into  the  dark  and  lurid  clouds  of  stem  real- 
ity. People  turned  ashy  pale.  Consternation  took  the  place  of  confidence,  and 
Panic  spread  out  her  spectral  wings.  Thus,  one  by  one  these  airy  bubbles  ex- 
ploded, leaving  the  wail  of  desolation,  of  gaunt  despair,  and  of  ghastly  suicide, 
in  their  fatal  train.  The  pen  of  the  romancer,  in  its  most  unrestrained  flights, 
would  fail  to  equal,  in  startling  wonders,  the  chronicles  of  commercial  tragedy 
which  have  their  appropriate  department  in  this  volimie. 


0  ONTENTS. 


PART  I. 

ANECDOTES  AND  BEMABKABLE  BEMINI80ENCES   OF  THE  EABLT  CA- 
BEEB  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBBITIES  IN  ALL  AGES  AND  COUNTBIES. 

AsTOR,  EoTHSCHiLD,  OovRARD,  Bates,  Barker,  Todro,  McDonogh,  Howqua,  Gold- 
SCHMID,  Hope,  Hottinguer,  Coutts,  Morrison,  De  Medicis,  Girard,  Biddle, 
Labouchere,  Lafitte,  Appleton,  Cooper,  Gresham,  Peabody,  Nolte,  Gray, 
Vandebbilt,  Beatty,  Lawrence,  Lowell,  Whitney,  Gideon,  Baring,  Morris, 
LpRiLLABD,  Steiglitz,  Pebkins,  Jeejeebhoy,  Brooks,  Longworth,  etc.,  etc,  etc. 


PAGE 

Appleton,  Nathan,  merchant,  of  Boston. .  32 

Appleton,  Samuel,  merchant,  of  Boston . .  48 

Appleton,  William,  merchant,  of  Boston  33 
Astor,  John  Jacob,  merchant,   of  New 

York 47 

Astor,  William  B.,  millionnaire,  of  New 

York 39 

Barings  (The),  bankers,  of  London 27 

Barker,  Jacob,  merchant,  of  New  Orleans  43 
Bamum,  P.  T., "  the  Prince  of  Showmen," 

of  New  York 29 

Bates,  Joshua,  of  the  house  of  Barings, 

London 21 

Beatty,  James,  merchant,  of  Baltimore. .  •  28 
Biddle,  Nicholas,  financier,  of  Philadel- 
phia    26 

Brooks,  Peter  C,  millionnaire,  of  Boston  49 
Bruck,    M.,    Austria's    great  merchant 

banker 7 

Bussey,  Benjamin,  merchant,  of  Boston . .  15 
Callaghan,  Daniel,  the  Irish  mercantile 

celebrity 9 

Child,  Francis,  founder  of  English  bank- 
ing houses 14 

Cceur,  Jacques,  French  merchant  in  the 

Middle  Ages 87 

Cooper,  Peter,  merchant,  of  New  York. . .  16 
Cope,  Thomas  P.,  merchant,  of  Philadel- 
phia.    53 

Corning,  Erastus,  merchant,  of  New  York  51 

Coutts,  English  banker 3 

B 


PAGE 

Dadabhoy  Jeejeebhoy,  Parsee  banker  and 

merchant 41 

De  Buirette,  the  illustrious  German  mer- 
chant      28 

"  Denison ,  Old  Mr. ,"  of  St.  Mary  Axe. .. .    46 
Dexter,    Lord    Timothy,  eccentric  mer- 
chant, of  Newburyport 20 

Fish,  Preserved,  merchant,  of  New  York    10 

Forbes,  William,  Scotch  banker 6 

Fordyce,  Alexander,  the  Shark  of  the  Ex- 
change      44 

Fugger,  Johannes,  and  the  great  commer- 
cial family  of  Fuggers 15 

Garrison,  C.  K.,  merchant,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco     40 

Gideon,  Sampson,  the  rival  of  Rothschild  18 
Girard,  Stephen,  merchant  and  banker, 

of  Philadelphia 29 

Goldschmid,  Abraham  and  Benjamin,  old 

English  bankers 38 

Goodhue,  Jonathan,  merchant,  of  New 

York 60 

Gracie,  Archibald,  merchant,  of  New  York  52 
"  Gray,  Old  Billy,"  merchant,  of  Boston . .  35 
Gresham,  Thomas,  royal  merchant  and 

financier,  of  London 26 

Haase,  Henry  Engelbert,  banker,  of  Bre- 
men        9 

Herodotus,  a  merchant 41 

Hogg,  William,  Pennsylvania  millionnaire  41 
Hope,  Henry,  banker,  of  Amsterdam ....    13 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


PAOB 

Eowqua,  senior  Hong  merchant 2 

Jeejeebhoy,  Jamsetjee,  great  Parsee  mer- 
chant   19 

Khan,  the  celebrated  Persian  merchant. .  18 
Labouchere,  P.  C,  the  youthful  prince 

merchant 2 

Lafitte,  Jacques,  French  banker 8 

Lawrence,  Abbott,  merchant,  of  Boston. .  42 

Lawrence,  Amos,  merchant,  of  Boston. . .  11 
Lawrence,  Cornelius  W.,  merchant,    of 

New  York 12 

Leayitt,  David,  merchant,  of  New  York. .  11 

Lenox,  James,  merchant,  of  New  York..  11 

Little,  Jacob,  "  of  Wall  Street " 22 

Lloyd,  Jones,  banker,  of  London 8 

Longworth,    Nicholas,    millionnaire,    of 

Cincinnati 45 

Lopez,  Judah  M.,  speculator  in  annuities  88 

Lorillard,  the  New  York  tobacconist 46 

Lowell,  Francis  C,  merchant,  of  Boston  14 
McDonogh,  John,  millionnaire,  of  New 

Orleans 17 

Medicis,  Lorenzo   de,  "the  magnificent 

merchant,"  of  Florence 12 

Morgan,  Edwin  D.,  merchant,    of  New 

York 31 

Morris,  Robert,  financier,  of  Philadelphia  1 

Morrison,  James,  "of  Twenty  Millions"  21 


PAQB 

Nolte,  Vincent,  the  wandering  merchant  19 
"Old    Billy  Gray,"    merchant,  of  Bos- 
ton    85 

Ouvrard,  G.  J.,  "  the  Napoleon  of  finance  "  52 
Overend,  John,  pioneer  bill  broker,  of 

London 46 

Peabody,  George,  merchant  and  banker, 

of  London 16 

Perit,  Pelatiab,  merchant,  of  New  York. .  87 

Perkins,  Thomas  H.,  merchant,  of  Boston  50 

Ricardo,  David,  English  financier 33 

Ridgway,  Jacob,  merchant,  of  Philadel- 
phia  37, 54 

Rothschilds  (The),  wealthiest  bankers  in 

the  world 2S 

Solomon,  the  merchant  sovereign 7 

"Spencer,  Rich,"  merchant  and  banker, 

of  London 35 

Steiglitz,  richest  of  Russian  merchants. .  7 
Stewart,  Alexander  T.,  merchant,  of  New 

York 30 

Sturgis,  William,  merchant,  of  Boston..  473 

Tattersall,  the  London  auctioneer 4 

Touro,  Judah,  merchant,  of  New  Orleans  34 
Whitney,   Stephen,  merchant,    of    New 

York 14 

Wood,   James,  the   Gloucester  million- 
naire   3 


PAKT    II. 

ANECDOTES  AND  INCIDENTS  OF  BUSINESS  PUBSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONET 

RELATIONS. 

Banks,  Bankers,  Brokers,  Specie,  Notes,  Loans,  Exchange,  Drafts,  Checks,  Public 
Securities,  and  Currency  in  all  its  Forms  and  Phases  ;  with  Jottings  of  the 
Most  Celebrated  Millionnaires  and  Monet  Dealers — their  Business  Modes  and 
Characteristics,  Maxims,  Colloqiues,  Wit,  Eccentricities  and  Finesse. 


PAGK 

"Accommodation"  offered  at  the  Bank. .  119 
Addison's  Opinion  of  the  Royal  Exchange 

and  its  Frequenters 112 

Albert  Gallatin  declining  Mr.  Baring's 

Offer  of  a  Fortune 115 

An  Excited  Specie  Hunter 97 

Another  Bank  Project 72 

Application  for  a  Discount,  by  Astor. . . .  102 

Astor's  "  Secret  Pain  " 88 

Atchafalaya  Currency  by  the  Cord 75 

Avoiding  Specie  Suspension 74 

Bank  Parlor  in  the  Winter 74 

Bank  Teller's  "  Varieties  " 92 

Bankers  of  the  Old  School 76 


PAOB 

Bankers  Snubbing  Napoleon 87 

Banking  Habits  of  Girard 66 

Banks  Failing 84 

Banks  of  Ease 108 

Barnard,  the  Proud  Broker 114 

Bewitching  a  Bank  Teller 114 

"  Borrow  Money !  Borrow  Money ! " 90 

Bound  not  to  Break 86 

Brief  Explanation  of  Banking 88 

Burning  a  Banker's  Notes 76 

Business   Aspect    and    Conduct    of  the 

Richest  Banker  in  the  World 71 

California  Gold,  Seventy  Years  Ago 78 

Capital  of  European  Bankers 81 


CONTENTS. 


xvu 


PAGE 

Cashier  Inviting  a  Run  upon  his  Bank. . .    77 

Coin  used  by  Judas 100 

Colloquies  inside  the  Bank 106 

Conducting  Business  on  the  Paris  Bourse    95 

"  Confidence  "  in  Hard  Times 62 

Counting-House  Dinners 69 

Croesus,  vast  Wealth  of 91 

Curious  Reason  for  Borrowing  Money. . .     74 

Detecting  Bad  Bills 96 

Determining  the  Genuineness  of  a  Check  96 
Disadvantage  of  being  a  Bank  Director. .  107 

Discounting  an  Hibei'nian's  Note Ill 

Disinterested  Brokers 68 

Drawing  the  Specie 59 

Dudley  North's  Opposition  to  Brokerage    81 

Endorser's  Qualification 110 

Establishment  of  the  Bank  of  England — 

Curious  Facts 85 

Final  Argument  at  a  Bank  Counter 80 

Financial  Physic 82 

First  Jewish  Bill  of  Exchange 80 

First  Run  upon  Bankers 116 

Florentine  Brokers  and  Money  Loaners..  94 
Four  Money-making  Rules  of  Rothschild  115 

Franklin's  Multitude  of  Capitalists 98 

Gallatin,  Albert,  declining  Mr.  Baring's 

OflFer  of  a  Fortune 115 

George  Peabody's  Colossal  Fortune 72 

Girard's  great  Government  Loan 100 

Glances  behind  the  Bank  Counter 61 

Goldschmid    and    Baring's    Unfortunate 

Contract — Suicide  of  the  Former. ...  61 
Governor  of  the  Bank  of  England  taken  by 

Surprise 113 

Greatest  Lending  House  in  Europe 105 

Gresham's  Scheme  of  Exchanges 115 

History  of  the  Old  Red  Cent 101 

Immense  Consignment  of  Gold  to  a  New 

York  House 119 

Intruding  into  the  Bullion  Room 99 

Irish  Banker  Redeeming  his  Notes 93 

Irishman  at  the  Bank 108 

Jacob  Barker's  Forty  Kegs  of  Specie. . . .  79 
Jacob  Little  and  the  Missing  Bank  Bill. .  83 
Jacob  Lorillard's  Note  of  Accommodation  110 

Jewish  Money  Lenders Ill 

Jewish  Perseverance  and  Shrewdness...     88 

Juvenile  Contempt  of  the  Bank 108 

Lafitte  in  a  Tight  Place 65 

Largest  Dealer  in  Commercial  Paper  in 

the  United  States 90 

Largest  Private  Check  ever  Drawn 105 

Learning  the  Currency  in  a  Small  Way. .     66 

Leather  Money 80 

Lives  of  Bank  Notes 73 

Logic  of  Specie  Payments 68 

London  Bankers  and  Banking  Houses ....  78 
Lorillard  paying  a  Bequest  in  Bank  Stock  105 
Losing  a  Bank  Customer 110 


FAOB 

Loss  of  Bank  Notes 64 

Lost   Bank   Note   of   Thirty   Thousand 

Pounds 103 

M.  Rothschild  on  the  Secret  of  his  Success  101 

Manifolding  Bank  Notes 93 

Merchants'  Notes  as  Currency 103 

Modes  of  conducting  Operations,  by  Roths- 
child      92 

Model  English  Banker 90 

Modem  Bank  Directors'  Parlor 96 

Money-changers  in  China 76 

Money  Street  of  New  York 112 

More  Cunning  than  Rothschild Ill 

Mr,  Riddle's  Wit 87 

Neapolitan    Cambiamoneta    or    Money- 
changer. .  - 104 

New  York  Bankers  and  Western  Courtr 

houses 83 

Nicholas  Biddle  and  the  Mississippi  Loan    61 

Note  Buyers 109 

Novel  Securities  for  Loans 70 

Obtaining  Security  to  be  a  Broker 78 

Oldest  Bill  of  Exchange  in  the  World. . . .  100 

Origin  of  Paper  Money 101 

Ouvrard,  the  Banker,  and  Napoleon 65 

Pawning  Money  in  Ireland 70 

Paying  Notes  in  Specie 79 

Peculiar  Management   of  the   Bank   of 

Amsterdam 102 

Peep  at  the  Treasure  in  Threadneedle 

Street 91 

Peeresses  conducting  Banking  Operations    89 

Pennsylvania  Bonds 120 

Picayunes  and  Coppers 113 

Proud  Broker  Barnard,  The 114 

Punch's  Money  Vagaries 66 

Pursuit  of  Specie  under  Difficulties 68 

Queen  Anne  saving  the  Government  Bank 

from  Pillage 116 

Raising  Money  on  Manuscript 93 

Rendering  Bank  Notes  Serviceable 116 

Renewing  a  Note 98 

Ricardo's  Three  Golden  Rules 101 

Roman  Money  Lenders 68 

Rothschild  trying  to  Raise  a  Small  Loan  100 

Royal  Runners  and  Brokers 107 

Running  a  Bank 99 

Russian  Money  Brokers 109 

Scenes  after  Discount  Day 104 

Securing  Trustworthy  Bank  Officers,  and 

theSafety  of  Capital 69 

Security  for  a  Discount 79 

Sir  Robert  Peel's  Opinion  of  his  Son  as  a 

Financier 89 

Spanish  Reals  versus  Spanish  Bonds 84 

Specie  in  the  Brokers'  Windows 64 

Strongest  Bank  in  the  World 82 

Supposititious  Will  of  the  Bank  of  Eng- 
land Directors 117 


XVlU 


CONTENTS. 


FAGE 

Terrible  ReTcnge  on  a  Bank,  by  Roths- 
child   95 

The  Great  Bankers  of  the  World  together 

in  Rothschild's  Parlor 60 

"  The  Lady's  Broker" 77 

The  United  Job  and  Lazarus  Bank 81 

Throwing  out  Jacob  Barker's  Notes 84 


FA6B 

Timely  Hard-money  Loan 67 

Unexpected  Balance  at  Coutts's  Bank. . . .  106 

Vast  Wealth  of  Croesus 91 

Vaults  of  the  Bank  of  France 62 

Voltaire's  Dealings  in  Government  Stocks  111 
Weight  of  Miss  Burdett  Coutts's  Fortune  87 
Yankee  Hoarding  Specie 72 


PART    IIIo 

ANECDOTES   AND     ILLUSTRATIONS     OF   THE    SUCCESSFUL    BUSINESS 

QUALITIES. 

Integrity,  Enterprise,  Energy,  Perseverance,  Courage,  Shrewdness,  Punctilious- 
ness, Prudence,  Ambition,  Gratitude,  Benevolence,  Generosity,  Economy;  with 
Pencillings  of  Striking  Business  Adventures,  Vicissitudes,  Exploits  and 
Achievements,  both  Serious  and  Comical. 


PAGE 

A  Good  Beginning— Old  Moses  Roths- 
child   184 

A.  T.  Stewart's  Success 145 

Aged  Merchant  saved  from  Robbery  by 

the  Weather 176 

Agreement  for  a  Loan 142 

American  Merchants  of  the  Olden  Time — 

Joseph  Peabody 174 

"  An  Error  in  Shipping  the  Goods  " 170 

Aptness  and  Nicety  in  Business  Illustrated  170 
Arab  Honesty  in  Business  Transactions. .  140 

Astor's  Early  Prediction 144 

Aztec  Merchants 181 

Benevolence  of  Goldschniid,  the  Old  Jew 

Broker 126 

Benevolence  of  Shai-king-qua,  the  Chinese 

Merchant 172 

Bone  and  Oflfal  Millionnaire 161 

Boston  Merchant's  opinion  of  Business 

Men's  Honesty 157 

Boyhood  Struggles  of  a  Merchant,  Gideon 

Lee 125 

Bruised  but  not  Crushed :  the  Messrs. 

Brown  of  Liverpool 167 

Business  Habits  of  A.  T.  Stewart 165 

Business  versus  Disease 141 

Celebrated  Question  in  Commerce  put  by 

Cicero 140 

Chinese  Merchant's  Gratitude 169 

Commencing  in  the  Sub-cellar 135 

Commencing  with  Three  Tobacco  Boxes 

— Jacob  Barker 179 

Commercial  Fortune  of  a  Peer 173 

Confidence  in  Mercantile  Success 144 


PAGE 

Controversy  among  Wine  Dealers 137 

Cope's,  Thomas  P.,  Integrity  155 

Correct  Appreciation  of  Mercantile  Cha- 
racter, by  Mr.  Astor 186 

Day  and  Martin,  the  Millionnaires  of  High 

Holbom 147 

Earliest  American  Whaleship  in  England  181 
English  Merchant  and  Spanish  Beggar..  176 
Enterprise    of    Yankees    and    Russians 

'Cutely  Illustrated 161 

Erastus  B.  Bigelow's  Boyhood  Bargain. . .  144 
European  and  American  Modes  of  doing 

Business 171 

Everything  by  turns :  Girard's  Example . .  136 

Expectations  against  Results 138 

Explaining  his  Business 181 

Extension  and  Profits  of  Mr.  Astor's  Fur 

Business 186' 

Father  Taylor  and  the  Banker's  Exhorta- 
tion   169 

First  Greek  Adventure  to  America 153 

First  Penny  gained  by  a  Millionnaire. . . .  126 
Five  Years  of  Privation  and  a  Fortune. . .  161 

Foot's,  Lundy  "  Blackguard  Snuff" 135 

Fortune  of  a  Commercial  Peer 173 

Fortunes  at  a  Single  Blow 130 

French  Mercantile  Independence 127 

General  Jackson's  Interview  with  Samuel 

Slater 1^ 

Generosity  of  Chickering  the  Piano-Forte 

Maker 159 

Getting  the  Hang  of  Mercantile  Transac- 
tions   138 

Gideon  Lee  carrying  the  Lapstone 171 


CONTENTS. 


XIX 


PAOB 

Girard  trying  to  raise  Five  Dollars 142 

Good  Word  for  Girard 176 

Goodhue,    Jonathan,    Noble    Mercantile 

Trait  of, 162 

Great  Deeds  of  European  Merchants 134 

Gresham's  Fortunate  Letter. 174 

Haifa  Million  Profit  by  One  of  Girard's 

Operations ^ '  ^ 

Handful  of  Wool  and  a  Bank  of  Money. . .  164 

Hiding  the  Dollar  with  a  Dime 158 

Hinges  upon  which  Trade  swings 138 

Honorable  Distinction  attained    by  Mr. 

Perit 188 

Hope  and  Co.,  Peremptory  Refusal  of,  to 

do  Business  with  Girard 134 

Hudson,  George,  Tale  at  a  Dinner  Party.  142 

Indians'  Mode  of  Judging  a  Trader 132 

Jacob  Barker's  Success  when  a  Youth....  147 
James  G.  King's  Treatment  of  Resent- 
ments    162 

John  Jacob  Astor's  "  Highway  to  For- 
tune " 171 

Johnson's  Prejudice  against  Merchants..  165 

Labouchere  and  Vincent  Notte 151 

Ladder  of  Commercial  Success 157 

Late  at  a  Dinner  Party :  George  Hudson  142 
Lawrence,  Abbott,  not  disposed  to  Lie..  164 

Lee  and  his  Travelling  Companion 125 

Lending  a  Helping  Hand:  A.  Lawrence..  141 
Liberality  of  YakooleflT,  the  Russian  Mer- 
chant    127 

Little  too  Candid 137 

Locking-up  Foreign  Merchants  in  Eng- 
land    128 

Making  Conditions :  King  James  and  the 

Corn  Merchants. 123 

McDonogh's  Greatest  Victory 162 

Mercantile  Character  Comparatively  Esti- 
mated   131 

Mercantile  Defalcation  Made  Good  after 

Sixty  Years 158 

Merchant  Patrons  of  Literature 130 

Merchants  and  Legislators 133 

Merchants  getting  to  be  Gentlemen 133 

Merchants  of  the  Golden  Fleece 128 

Minding  One's  Own  Business 171 

Mohammedan  Mercantile  Morality 135 

Mohammedan's  reason  for  Not  Storing 

Goods 131 

Money  Enough  to  Break  <xn 131 

Money-getting  Tact  of  Jews 173 

Monsieur  Smith :  Girard's  Man 154 

Mr.  Everell  and  the  Hindoo  Merchant 180 

Mr.  Grinnell's  Liberality 1 83 

Murdered  Merchant  Watched  by  his  Dog  176 
Mutations  of  a  Merchant's  Life;  the  New 

Orleans  Sock-Seller. 129 

Mysterious  Benefactor — Incident   of  the 
South  Sea  Bubble 158 


PAOB 

Napoleon  and  Byron  on  Trading 181 

Noble  Mercantile  Trait  of  Jonathan  GkK>d- 

hue 162 

Not  Ashamed  of  Work — Astor's  Diligence  133 
Not  disposed  to  Lie  :  Abbott  Lawrence. .  164 

Old  Fashioned  Shopkeepers 128 

Opulent  New  York  Merchants 133 

Patriotic  Merchants  of  the  Revolution . . .  127 
Patriotism  and  Prowess  of  French  Mer- 
chants    150 

Peculiar  Feature  in  Rothschild's  Business 

Character 173 

Peremptory  Refusal  of  Hope  and  Co.  to 

do  Business  with  Girard 134 

Perkins's,  Thomas  H.,  Deliberate  Habits.  150 

Perseverance  badly  rewarded  185 

Persevering  Traders. 170 

Philadelphia  Young  Merchant,  who  was 

not  afraid  of  Girard 158 

Polly  Kenton's  Lard  Speculation 164 

Portuguese    Pilgrim    in  the  Streets   of 
Venice  proclaiming  its  Commercial 

Doom 175 

Present  Prosperity  of  the  Rothschilds . . .  180 
Private  Mercantile  finances  and    Royal 

Fleets 174 

Privateering  Exploit  of  a  Salem  Merchant  149 
Quaker  Merchant's  Idea  of  Privateering. .  132 

Queen  Jane's  Opinion  of  Merchants 125 

Recovering  a  Wasted  Fortune 130 

Redeeming  Lost  Time 163 

Remarkable  Case  of  Conscience  in  a  Busi- 
ness Man 182 

Restitution  by  a  Shopkeeper 163 

Retiring   from    Business — Engaging   to 

Blow  the  Bellows 141 

Reverses  of  Mercantile  Fortune 168 

Reynolds,  the  Charitable  Quaker  Merchant  127 

Roman  Idea  of  Merchants 154 

Romance  of  Trade — "  Blackguard  Snuff"  135 

Roscoe,  William,  the  Poet  Banker 169 

Rothschild  and  Astor  compared 151 

Sabbath  Experiences  of  a  Shipmaster 139 

Scene  in  a  Merchant's  Counting  Room  after 

the  Peace  of  1815 152 

Search  for  a  New  Route  to  China 186 

Second  Thought  on  a  Trade 165 

Secrecy  in  Business  Transactions  prac- 
tised by  Rothschild 156 

Shaking  One's  Business  Credit 123 

Sharing  in  a  Good  Operation 156 

Shopkeepers  and  Warriors 175 

Six  Days  for  Business  and  One  for  Rest..  157 

Sole  Qualification  of  a  Bill  Broker 173 

Sources  of  Wealth  of  the  Medici  Family 

of  Merchants ^82 

Spanish  Mercantile  Dealings 163 

Stewart's,  A.  T^  Success 162 

"Stick  to  Your  Last" 137 


CONTENTS. 


FAGS 

Strong    Point   in   Mercantile    Success: 

Girard's  Silence 153 

Tempting  Business  Paragraph 161 

The  Banker's  Seven-Shilling  Piece 177 

Thorburn's  Flowery  Path  to  Fortune 166 

Thomas  H.  Perkins's  Deliberate  Habits. .  150 

Thomas  P.  Cope's  Integrity 155 

Three  Merchant  Voyages  and  their  Be- 

sults 155 

Too  Close  application  to  Business 141 

Touro's  Great  Gift  to  a  Beggar 159 

Tudor,  the  Original  Ice  Merchant 153 


PAGE 

Usurious   Interest  on  Money :   Peter  C. 

Brooks's  Rule 172 

Value  of  a  Good  Credit 132 

"  Walter  Barrett's  "  Cotton  Mission 148 

Washington  as  a  Business  Man 179 

Wealthy  Men  of  Cincinnati 168 

Whale  Fishery  Enterprise  of  Americans  160 
What  John  McDonogh  said  to  a  Lawyer.  146 

Who  were  the  First  Whalemen  ? 129 

William  Roscoe,  the  Poet  Banker. 169 

Yankee  Shrewdness  Handsomely   Illus- 
trated   1 24 


PAKT   IV. 

ANECDOTES  OF  TRADE  AJW  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 

The  Rarest  Instances  of  Ingenious  Business  Fraud,  Forgery,  Counterfeiting,  and 
Smuggling  ;  Usury,  Artifice,  Tricks,  and  Malpractice  ;  with  Examples,  Ex- 
traordinary AND  Amusing,  of  Avarice,  Covetousness,  Paksimony,  Extortion, 
Pride,  Rudeness,  Violence  and  Extravagance  of  Business  Men. 


pagb 

"A  Little  More" 198 

A  Rustic  bargaining  for  a  Hat 262 

Accomplished  Canine  Shoplifter 200 

Artful  Dodge 206 

Attempt  to  overthrow  Rothschild's  Power 

in  the  Money  Market 250 

Attention  to  Trivial  Things  by  Girard. . .  243 
Avarice  of  Osterwald,  the  French  Banker  244 

Bad  Bank  Bill 277 

Bad  Business 223 

Bank  Teller  Filing  his  Gold  Coin 2C0 

Bargaining  for  a  Jar 234 

Bargains  in  Cocbin-China 219 

Bit  of  Yankee  Financiering  in  Wall  Street  266 

Blinders  for  Stockholders 216 

Bubble  Prospectuses 281 

Bums  and  the  Drowning  Merchant 272 

Business  Haggling  in  Scotland. 194 

Business  Suckers 212 

Buying  Cheap 211 

Buying  Wine  by  Sample 231 

Characteristic    Smuggling   Ingenuity  of 

Parisians 226 

Cheating  the  Oculist 212 

City  Merchant  securing  a  Customer 241 

Coal  Dealer's  Prediction  Fulfilled— Per- 
haps  265 

Colloquy  between  a  Storekeeper  and  his 

Customer 243 

Commercial  Croakers 248 

Commercial  Milk 223 


PAOE 

Connection  between  Small  Bank  Notes 

and  Crime 214 

Consequence    of    a    Simple   Mercantile 

Speculation 241 

Cool  Assurance  of  a  Doomed  Financier..  249 

"  Cornering  "  among  Brokers 247 

Croesus  and  his  Avaricious  Guest 221 

Custom  House  Swearing 249 

Customs  of  the  Store  in  Church 253 

Dangers  of  Legitimate  Business  Transac- 
tions    224 

Deaconing  Both  Ends  of  the  Barrel. 206 

Deadhead  Customer — a  Clincher 195 

Deserved  Reward  of  Blasphemy 265 

Determined  not  to  be  Overreached 200 

Determining  the  Character  of  an  Article 

by  its  Age 196 

Discounting  a  Legacy 237 

Disposing  of  an  Old  Stock 233 

Doing  Things  on  Shares 271 

"Doing "and  "Shaving"  Customers...  271 

"  Done  for  "  Twice 238 

Dry  Goods  Drummer  "Sold" 204 

Dummies,  or  Counterfeit  Show  Windows  269 

Duplicity  of  French  Speculators 227 

Duplicity  practised  by  Fumese,  the  King's 

Banker 210 

Dutchman  illustrating  a  Mercantile  Prin- 
ciple   195 

East  India  Company  and  the  Missing  Wit- 
ness    225 


CONTENTS. 


XXI 


PAGE 

Economical  Hardware  Merchant 242 

Espionage  Practised  by  Girard 297 

Estimate  of  liis  own  Life  by  a  Miser 244 

Exchanging   a    Cheese    for   a  Pinch  of 

SnuflF 261 

Expedient  of  a  Russian  Miser 272 

Extravagant  Business  Rhetoric 252 

Fate  of  a  Clerical  Dealer  in  "  Fancies  " . .  233 

Fauntleroy,  the  Executed  Banker 255 

Filibustering  among  Parisian  Jewellers. . .  203 

Financiering  in  Alabama 192 

First  Forged  Note  on  a  Bank 255 

Fortune-making  in  Havana 212 

French  Nicety  in  Trade  Frauds 233 

French  Usurers  and  Pigeons 275 

Friend  Hopper  and  the  Due  Bill 266 

Game  of  the  Money  Packages 209 

"  Genuine  "  Wines 196 

Government  Contractors  in  Russia 259 

Grocers'  Raisin  Boxes  and  Nibbling  Cus- 
tomers    206 

Half  Hour's    Experience   with  London 

Brokers 207 

Hanging  a  Broker  One  Hundred  Years 

Ago 240 

Hard  Philosophy  of  an  Annuity-Monger  274 

Hardening  Tendency  of  Business 224 

"  He's  a  Country  Merchant — Stick  Him !"  230 
High-heeled  Boots  with  Watches  in  Them  232 

His  Ruling  Passion 209 

Hoarding  and  Amusing— Noted  Instances  253 

Imitating  Signatures 276 

Ingenious  Plot  against  a  Banker 260 

Ingenious  Swindling  of  Pawnbrokers.. . .  199 

Italian  Knavery  in  Picture  Selling 279 

Italian  Picture  Dealer  Trapping  an  Expe- 
rienced Connoisseur. 193 

Jack's  Bargain  for  Rope 199 

Jacob  Barker  on  "  Shrewdness  "  in  Stock 

Dealing 214 

James  Bolland's  Financial  Career 193 

Jemmy  Taylor,  the  Miser  Broker,  and  the 

Earl  of  Northumberland 200 

Jew  Losing  a  Bargain 243 

Jewish  Money  Makers  in  the  Holy  City.,  253 

Jewish  Opinion  of  Rothschild 243 

Keen  Ruse  by  a  Yankee  Peddler 263 

Kentucky  Hams  and  Yankee  Nutmegs. . .  217 
King  Charles  in  the  Pawners'  Clutches . .  210 
Knavery  of  British  and  Chinese  Traders 

compared 246 

Knowing  his  Customer 236 

Latest  "  Sell"  of  the  Day 218 

Lodging  a  Banker  in  the  Gutter 267 

Looking  Glass  for  Wall  Street 239 

Louis  the  Fifteenth's  Opinion  of  his  Own 

Paper 240 

M.  Beautte  and  the  Official  Smuggler...  237 
Making  a  Good  Job  of  It 275 


PAGE 

Making  Change  at  Railroad  Refreshment 

Stands 278 

"Merchant  of  Venice  "—Shylock's  Com- 
mercial Character  Vindicated 222 

Messrs.  Moan  and  Groan  of  Cypress  Row  220 
Mode  of  Protecting  the  Money  Drawer. , .  238 

Morocco  Pocketbook  Men 225 

Mr.  Jones's  Experience  with  Peter  Funk  213 
Muller,  the  Rich  Merchant  of  Nuremberg : 

Fictitious  Theft 259 

Mysteries  of  Tea  Smuggling 229 

"  Newcsloth  " 272 

"  No  Great  Judge  of  de  Hemp  " 201 

Old  Guy  putting  out  the  Light;  or,  Mil- 
lionnaires  rating  each  others'  Fru- 
gality   236 

Old-School  Money  Jobbers 274 

Old  Vinter's  Bank  Bills 219 

One  Cent  with  Girard 273 

One  of  the  Operations  in  'Change  Alley . .  208 

One  Price,  but  not  the  Same  Article 204 

"P.  D." 222 

Parisian  Female  Smugglers 271 

Philanthropy  and  Forty  per  Cent 232 

Plan  to  Ruin  the  Ancient  Firm  of  Child 

and  Co.  by  the  Bank  of  England. . . .  280 
Prayers  Requested  for  a  New  Business 

Undertaking 230 

Prejudice  against  Yankee  Clock  Peddlers, 

and  how  it  was  Overcome 277 

Presents  to  Bank  Officers :  Curious  Cases  254 

Price  of  Extortion  and  Revenge 235 

Purloining    Speculator   in    the    French 

Funds 245 

Quaker  Bauker  and  the  Stolen  Doubloons  240 
Quaker  Shipowner  Economizing  the  Time 

of  his  Men 198 

Raising  his  Customer 245 

Raising  the  Price  of  Bread 201 

Resolving  to  be  Rich 273 

Restitution  of  Bank  Notes 257 

Results  of  a  Career  of  Overreaching 262 

Risks  of  the  Currency  278 

Rothschild  and  Lucas :  Stratagem  to  Learn 

the  Former's  Secrets 191 

Royal  Prize  for    Raising   Money — Raid 

upon  the  Bankers 198 

Saving    the    Pieces  —  Girard    and    his 

Brother 222 

Selling  a  Bad  Article 277 

Selling  Salt  by  a  Chalk  Line 191 

Settling  a  Question  of  Taste  and  Trade. . .  272 

Sharing  in  Rothschild's  Fortune 252 

Sharp  at  a  Trade— Sharper  in  Getting  Out 

of  It 264 

Skinflint  Philosophy 246 

Slavers  Raising  a  Capital 248 

Smuggled  Needles,  and  the  American 
Eagle 269 


xxu 


CONTENTS. 


FAOE 

Smuggler's  Honor 226 

Smuggling  by  the  Chinese 271 

Smuggling  on  a  Lace  Merchant's  Dog. . .  231 

Snug  Place  for  Bank  Notes 270 

Spaniard  and  Chinaman  at  a  Trade 281 

Spanish  Contraband  Trade 229 

Stephen  Whitney's  Charities 244 

Stock  Exchange  Conspiracy 214 

Stock  "  Washing" 247 

Taking  Him  at  his  Word 267 

Talleyrand  and  the  Stockjobber. 211 

Terrible  Career  of  Sadleir,  the  Speculator  227 
Terrible  Sequel  to  Parsimony :  M.  Foscue's 

Case 250 

The  Bank  Detectives  Foiled 264 

The  Prince  Regent's  Wine  and  the  Confi- 
dential Dealer 268 

Three  Millionnaires  Quarrelling  about  One 

Farthing 235 

Throwing  Sawdust  Jn  the  Eyes  of  Custom 
House  Officers 270 


FAQE 

"  To  what  Base  Uses  have  we  Come  at 

Last !" 280 

Tobacco  in  Loaves 249 

Tompkins's  Horse  Trade 218 

Tough  Experience  of  a  Business  Drummer  257 

Tradesmen's  Ticketing  System 242 

Trading  in  Imaginary  Candlesticks 263 

Tragical  Result  of  Losing  Bank  Notes ....  224 

Transactions  in  Worsteds 219 

Trick  for  the  "  Spashy  " 209 

Trickery  in  the  Clothing  Trade 202 

Turtles  and  Gold  SnuflF  Boxes 248 

Two  Playing  at  the  Same  Game 228 

Unparalleled  Parsimony  and  Benevolence 

of  a  Millionnaire 242 

Virginia  Usurer  Foiled 217 

Wanting  to  Pay  the  Cash 262 

Weighing  Short 279 

What  it  means  to  be  "  Selling  OflF" 197 

Window  "  Gazers"  Employed  by  London 
Shopkeepers 203 


PAKT   V. 

ANECDOTES  OF  FAMOUS  COMMERCIAL  BESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 

The  Exchange,  Custom  House,  Boards  of  Trade,  Markets,  etc. — their  Annals, 
Usages,  Peculiarities  ;  with  Personal  Miscellanies,  Aphorisms,  Oddities, 
Whims  ajto  Caprices  op  their  Habitues. 


PAGE 

Amusing    Perplexities    at   the   Custom 

House 298 

Animated  Scenes  at  the  French  Exchange  293 

Attacks  on  the  Stock  Exchange 289 

Business  in  London  at  Four  o' Clock 295 

'Change  Alley  as  a  Business  Resort 297 

Custom  House  Official    dealing   with  a 

Princess 285 

Custom  Houses  and  Star  Chambers 289 

Derivation    of    the    Commercial    Term 

"  Bourse  " 294 

Drinking  the  Health  of  Custom  House 

Officers 287 

Duty  on  Pictures 298 

First  East  India  House 299 

Free  Trade 293 

Hall  of  the  St.  Petersburg  Exchange 800 

High 'Change  Hours 298 

Lloyd's  Establishment,  London 296 

Ludicrous  Custom  House  Examinatious. . .  294 


PAGB 

Manchester  Cotton  Merchants 292 

Manners  at  the  English  Stock  Exchange  288 
Men  of  Letters  frequenting  the  Share  Mart  801 
Merchants  and  Business  Resorts  in  Mos- 

cow 295 

One  Thousand  Million  Pounds'  Business 

Annually   at   the  London   Clearing 

House 297 

Origin  of  Boards  of  Trade 289 

Paying  Government  Fishing  Bounties. . .  286 

Photograph  of  Wall  Street 286 

Quotations  of  the  New  Exchange 290 

Railway  Clearing  House 296 

Reduction    of  Custom    House    Duties— 

"  Death  to  the  Beet  Root." 294 

Rencontre  between  Rothschild  and  Rose, 

the  Broker,  on  'Change. 285 

Romance  and  Trade 299 

Scenes  in  a  Turkish  Custom  House 291 

The  Origin  of  the  Clearing  House 294 


CONTENTS. 


xxiii 


PAKT   VI. 

ANECDOTES  OF  COMMERCIAL  ART  AND   PHRASEOLOGY. 

Advertisements,  Signboards,  Trademarks,  Tokens,  Envelopes,  Labels,  Inscriptions, 
Mottoes  and  Terms — Quaint,  Curious,  Grotesque,  Ingenious  and  Laughable. 


PAGE 

Adepts  in  Commercial  Faffing 305 

Alliteration  in  Advertising 835 

An  untried  Method 309 

Ancient  Pictorial  Signboards 317 

Arms  and  Seal  of  the  Bank  of  Ireland —  314 

Baking  and  Banking 320 

Boston   Merchants'   Business   Marks  or 

Tokens 807 

Broadway  Signs 837 

Business  Puffing  Two   Hundred   Years 

Ago 829 

Business  Signboards  in  Different  Nations  832 

Buying  a  Claim 836 

Cabalistic  Sign  for  an  Ale  House 817 

Carmeline  the  Dentist's  Sign 816 

Charging  for  Advertisements 331 

Chinese  Trade  Puffing 310 

Class  Advertisements  in  City  Papers 821 

Classical  Shop  Language 310 

Commercial  Envelopes,  Wrappers,  Labels, 

Ac 311 

"  Cotton  is  Quiet  " 818 

Criticism  of  a  Hatter's  Sign 316 

Dean  Swift  and  the  Barber's  Sign 306 

Dialects  of  different  Trades 822 

"  Ditto  " 328 

Earliest  Printed  Advertisements 807 

English  Business  Mottoes 308 

Evasions  of  Trade  Marks 813 

First  Advertisement  in  America 322 

First  Trade  Advertisement 815 

"  Five  Per  Cent." 330 

"  For  Her  Majesty  " 312 

Free  Shave  and  a  Drink 334 

French  Ideas  of  Advertising 334 

Fresh  Gems  from  English   Advertising 

Columns 309 

Fresh  Sea  Water 314. 

Full-size  Headings  to  Advertisements 338 

Getting  Rid  of  his  Neighbor's  Customers  337 
Harlow's  Sign  Painting  Extraordinary. . .  333 
Hide  Dealer's  Sign— Rare  Bit  of  Philos- 

opliy 825 

Historical  and  Poetical  Signs 330 

Inscriptions  on  Trade  Coins 307 

Irish  Advertisement 316 

Irish  Pun  on  a  Sign 806 


PAOB 

Jemmy  Wright's  Modesty 331 

Joke  upon  a  Boston  Sign 318 

Killbury    and    Maimsworth     Railway's 

Advertisement 8O6 

Latin  on  Business  Signs 326 

Literature  and  Groceries 312 

Meaning  of  "  Fund  "  and  "  Stock  " 828 

Merchants'  Religious  Formulae  or  Phrases  328 

Mottoes  in  Ancient  Times 308 

Natural  Advertising 32I 

New  York  Business  Tokens 307 

Odd  Comminglings 324 

Out  of  Style 321 

Pathos  and  Puffing  Extraordinary 335 

Pat's  Definition  of  Railroad  "  Stock  " . . . .  337 

Pawnbrokers'  Three  Balls 325 

Paying  at  "  Maturity  " 327 

Phenomena  Extraordinary 819 

Pleasant  History  of  a  Familiar  Word. . . .  317 
"  Punch  "  on  Commercial  Phraseology, . .  822 
Quack  Advertisement  Two  Centuries  Ago  319 

Questionable  Sign  for  a  Clothier 320 

Responding  to  an  Advertisement 329 

Rush's  Celebrated  Figure  Heads 339 

Scotch  Tobacconist's  Motto 308 

Shop  and  Business  Signs :  Ancient  Ex- 
amples    814 

Shopkeepers'  Nomenclature  of  Goods. . . .  326 

Signboard  Punctuation 812 

Silk  Dyer's  Poetical  Sign 338 

Stock  Terms  in  the  Sick  Room 319 

Streets  and  Shop  Signs  in  Canton 317 

Striking  a  Bargain 330 

"  Take  down  that  Old  Sign  " 331 

The  Napoleon  of  Advertising 332 

"  Tight  Times  " 815 

Titles  of  Business  Firms 314 

Trade  Placards  and  Shop  Bills 323 

Transactions  in  the  Cab  Market 330 

Unexampled     Enterprise — the     Chinese 

Wall  for  Advertisements 315 

"  Universal  Stores  " 835 

"Up  to  Snuff" 805 

Very  expressive » . . . .  824 

Very  Racy 887 

Where  "  Tariff"  came  from 828 

"  Words  have  their  Meaning  " 834 


XXIV 


CONTENTS. 


PAET   VII. 

ANECDOTES  AND  THINGS  MEMORABLE  CONCERNINQ  BUSINESS  TRANSIT 
AND  COMMUNICATION. 

Shifpihg,    Steamboats,     Railways,    Expresses,    Coaches,    Omnibuses,    etc. — theib 
Owners,  Officers,  Patrons,  lso  Attaches. 


PAOK 

ADeep  Design 368 

Amending  the  Charter 384 

American  Shipuology 856 

An  Interesting  Consignment 370 

Arrival  of  the  Steamer 353 

Ask  any  Committee  Man 347 

Assuming  the  Responsibility 373 

Captain  Macalester  and  his   Fast   Ship 

"Fanny" 387 

Change  of  " Packet  Day'* 385 

Church  and  State  vs.  Railways 351 

Commercial  Importance  of  the  Cat. 346 

"  Considering  "  a  Ship  Builder 344 

Curious  Division  of  Ships  into  Ounces. . .  350 

Decoration  of  Railroad  Depots 368 

Disinterested  Railroad  Contractor 376 

Dismissing  a  Shipmaster 846 

Drinking  Success  to  the  First  Railway  . .  385 

English  Hares  by  Express 350 

Female  Shipmaster  from  Cape  Horn  to 

San  Francisco 360 

First  Railroad  in  Europe  or  America 353 

First  Ship  at  St.  Petersburg 371 

First  Vessel  in  the  World 350 

Floating  Railways 845 

Forwarding  by  Telegraph 858 

From  Honolulu  to  Kaui 382 

George  Hudson,  the  Railway  King 378 

Good  Land  for  Railroad 375 

Great  North  Pole  Railway 373 

Guarding  the  Track 367 

Imaginative  Expressmen — An   Artificial 

Corpse 344 

Jumel  the  Merchant,  and  the  Carman ....  358 

Lady  Ship  master. 363 

Largest  Ship  Owner  in  England 355 

Laughable  Opposition  to  Steam  Trains.. .  362 

Literature  of  the  Cabin  355 

Lloyd's  Nautical  Book 351 

Locomotion  and  Amalgamation 364 

Lucky  and  Unlucky  Names  of  Ships,  and 

Sailing  Days 364 

Luxuries  in  the  Car 859 

Mode  of  Getting  Money  Transmitted 354 

Mr.  Griggs'  Mode  of  Overcoming  Obstacles  380 
Names  of  Vessels  and  Trade  of  New  York 

in  1680 850 


rAai 

New  Rules  for  Railways 864 

New  York  to  Boston  in  Four  Days 875 

"  No  Swearing  among  the  Crew  " 855 

Not  Posted  in  Geography 383 

Oldest  Vessel  in  America 349 

Origin  of  the  Express  Business — Ham- 
den's  First  Trip 356 

Palmerston  and  the  Station  Master 386 

Paying  off  Jack 355 

"  Pleasure  Excursions  " 377 

Probable  Origin  of  Schooners 360 

Proposed  Line  from  England  to  China. . .  372 

Protective  Costume  for  Travellers 374 

Prussian  Ship  Navigated  by  a  Lady 360 

Punch's  Own  Railway 369 

Purchase  of  Jacob  Barker's  Ship  "  United 
States,"  by  the  Emperor  Nicholas. . .  343 

Rail  Car  Privileges 353 

Railroad  Damages — the  Tables  Turned,.  365 

Railway  Politeness,  Scale  of 876 

Rare  Passenger  in  an  Omnibus 371 

Rather  Dry 375 

Rather  Ominous 348 

Reading  the  Annual  Report 347 

Rigid  Obedience  of  Shipmasters  Exacted 

by  Girard 876 

Risks  and  Accidents  Assured  Against. . .  345 

Rival  Steamboat  Lines 352 

Rothschild's  Omnibus  Fare 373 

Royal  Schemers  in  Railways 861 

Scale  of  Railway  Politeness 376 

Scene  in  an  Express  Office 359 

Selling  a  Brig :  the  Ruling  Passion 357 

"  Soaking  "  the  Old  Coach 384 

Southern  Accommodation  Trains 381 

Squelching  a  Director's  Impertinence....  871 
Stage  Coach  Experience  of  Two  Merchants  369 
Stephenson,  the  Pioneer  in  Railroad  Con- 
struction    380 

Strange  Terminus  to  a  Railroad. 384 

Superseding  Steam 345 

Telegraph  vs.  Express 851 

Telegraph  Capers 867 

Telegraphing  against  Time 866 

The  First  Steamboat  Passage  Money  ever 

Paid 877 

The  Ladder  of  Gold 849 


CONTENTS. 


XXV 


Thomas  Gray,  the  Originator  of  Railways  354 

Thompson's  Travels  in  California 381 

Universal  Salvage  Company 346 

Unparalleled  Railway  Damages 347 

Unsociable  Travelling  Companion 368 

Up  Trains  and  Down  Trains 848 


Usefulness  of  Steamboats  in  Reducing  the 

Population 356 

Waghorn's  Great  Scheme 374 

Working  a  Hand  Car 883 

Yankee  Calculation  of  Railroad  Speed. . .  365 
"  Your  Ticket,  Sir." 881 


XXVll 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PORTRAITS   ON   STEEL. 


GEORGE  PEABODY. 
SAMUEL  SLATER. 
ABBOTT  LAWRENCE. 
ALBERT  GALLATIN. 
JOHN  JACOB  ASTOR. 
T.  DOWSE. 

CORNELIUS  W.  LAWRENCE. 
STEPHEN  GIRARD. 
ROBERT  FULTON. 
NATHANIEL  BOWDITCH. 
ROBERT  MORRIS. 
ERASTUS  CORNING. 
PHILIP  HONE. 
HENRY  GRINNELL. 
WILLLiM  APPLETON. 
DAVID  LEAVITT. 
R.  G.  SHAW. 
JOHN  GRIGG. 
CORNELIUS  VANDERBILT. 

THOMAS 


ROBERT  L.  STEVENS. 

WALTER  R.  JONES, 

FITZ  GREENE  HALLECK. 

CHARLES  LAMB. 

NATHAN  MEYER  ROTHSCHILD. 

WASHINGTON  IRVING. 

PETER  COOPER. 

W.  F.  HARNDEN. 

T.  W.  PERKINS. 

NICHOLAS  BIDDLE. 

JAMES  G.  KING. 

JACOB  BARKER. 

PETER  C.  BROOKS. 

THOMAS  P.  COPE. 

JEEJEEBHOY  DADABHOY. 

LORENZO  DE  MEDICI. 

WILLIAM  B.  ASTOR. 

NICHOLAS  LONGWORTH. 

J.  cmCKERING. 
TELESTON. 


?xviii  LIST  OP  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


WOOD   ENGRAVINGS. 


PAGa 
MODERN  BANK  DIRECTORS'  PARLOR,         ...  .  .      97 

NEAPOLITAN  MONEY  CHANGER,  ...  .  .  104 

MUTATIONS    OF    A    MERCHANT'S    LIFE.      THE    NEW    ORLEANS    SOCK 

SELLER,         •••....,.     129 

GRESHAM'S  FORTUNATE  LETTER,  ....  .174 

PETER  FUNK, .218 

INTERIOR  VIEW  OP  THE  LONDON  STOCK  EXCHANGE,  .  .  288 

SCENE  IN  AN  ORIENTAL  CUSTOM  HOUSE, 291 

HIDE  DEALER'S  SIGN,  .  .  ....  325 

PAYING  ROBERT  FULTON  THE  FIRST  PASSAGE  MONEY,  .  .    377 

BONFIRE  OF  A  DEBTOR'S  PAPERS, 424 

AFRAID  OF  THE  SHERIFF'S  HAT, 461 

THAT  LITTLE  CHILD  IN  THE  COUNTING  HOUSE,         .  .  .614 

BURLESQUE  ON  MODERN  BUSINESS  UTOPIAS,        .  .  .  .629 

TATTERSALL'S  RENOWNED  AUCTION  MART,      ....  634 

GOING— GOING— GONE ! 689 

SYRIAN  AUCTION  AND  AUCTIONEERS, 664 

CHRISTIE'S  CELEBRATED  AUCTION  ROOM,    .  .  .  .  661 

STREET  MERCHANTS, 69* 

COMMERCIAL  DIGNITY  AT  THE  APPLE  STAND,      .  .  .  .619 

EXAMINING  AN  APPLICANT, 644 

IMPROVING  A  BANKER'S  BROTH, 6V6 

THAT  BOTTLE  OF  WINE  AMONG  "OLD  FULLER'S"  CLERKS,  .  694 

BILLINGSGATE  MARKET  DEALERS, V28 

WHOLESALE  JOKE  UPON  SHOEMAKERS, 738 

PROFESSIONAL  USE  OF  BOOKS, 749 


PART  FIRST. 


Anecdotes  and  Bemarkable  Reminisgenges  of  tee 
Early  Career  of  Business  Celebrities  in  all 
Ages  and  Countries. 


PAET   FIEST. 

Anecdotes  and  Eemarkable  Eemimscenoes  of  the  Early  Career  of 
Business  Celebrities  in  all  Ages  and  Countries. 

iSTOR,  ROTHSCHILD,  OUTRAED,  BATES,  BARKER,  TOURO,  MCDONOGH,  HOWQUA,  GOLDSCHMID, 
HOPE,  HOTTINGTJER,  COUTTS,  MORRISON,  DE  MEDICIS,  GIRARD,  BIDDLE,  LABOUCHERE,  LA- 
FITTE,  APPLETON,  COOPER,  GRESHAM,  PEABODY,  NOLTE,  GRAY,  BRUCK,  BEATTY,  STEWART, 
LAWRENCE,  LOWELL,  WHITNEY,  GIDEON,  DEXTEK,  BARING,  MORRIS,  LORILLARD,  STEIGLITZ, 
PERKINS,   LONGWORTH,   ETC.,   ETC.,   ETC, 


That  captivating  art  ■which  consists  in  the  delineation  of  individual  traits  and  achieve- 
ments.— Edin.  Revibw. 

The  man  who  has  not  anything  to  boast  of  but  his  illustrious  ancestors,  is  like  a  x>otato— the 
only  good  belonging  to  him  is  under  the  ground. — Sir  T.  Overburt. 

Let  not  those  blush  ■who' have,  but  those  who  have  not,  a  lawful  calling. — Tattler. 
Still  let  the  mind  be  bent,  still  plotting  where, 
And  when,  and  how,  the  business  may  be  done.— Hebbxbt. 


Sobert  Morris,  the  Financier,  of  Phil- 
adelphia. 

This  eminent  financier  was  bom  in 
Liverpool,  Eng.,  in  1734.  Of  his  fam- 
ily, very  little  is  known,  except  that  his 
father  was  a  respectable  English  mer- 
chant, and  for  a  long  time  held  the 
agency  of  a  very  considerable  tobacco 
house  in  that  place.  The  nature  and 
extent  of  his  concerns  required  his 
frequent  visits  to  this  country  ;  and  it 
was  in  one  of  these  trips  that  his  son 
Robert,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  became 
the  companion  of  his  voyage,  and  re- 
ceived an  introduction  to  the  scene  of 
his  future  greatness.  His  father,  by  a 
melancholy  accident,  lost  his  life  about 
two  years  after  he  had  established  him- 
self in  this  country  as  a  merchant. 
Soon  after  this  sad  event,  Robert  was 
received  into  the  counting  house  of 
Charles  Willing,  at  that  time  the  most 
distinguished  merchant  in  Philadel- 
phia, to  whom  he  appears  to  have 
been  indentured ;  and,  after  remaining 
1 


in  this  subordinate  station  the  usual 
term  of  years,  he  was  established  in 
business  by  his  patron,  in  conjunction 
with  his  son,  Thomas  Willing. 

Embarked  in  an  extensive  and  profit- 
able West  India  business,  Mr.  Morbis 
made  several  voyages  as  supercargo  in 
the  ships  belonging  to  the  company,  in 
one  of  which  he  was  unfortunately  cap- 
tured by  the  French,  and,  during  a 
close  imprisonment  for  some  time,  suf- 
fered cruelty  of  treatment  not  justified 
by  the  laws  of  war,  nor  the  usages  of 
civilized  nations.  In  this  state  of  dis- 
tress, without  a  shilling,  by  exercising 
his  ingenuity,  and  repairing  the  watch 
of  a  Frenchman,  he  raised  the  means 
of  his  own  liberation,  and  enabled  him- 
self to  return  to  Philadelphia  and  re- 
sume his  mercantile  life. 

Under  his  active  superintendence, 
the  house  of  Willing  and  Morris  rapidly 
rose  to  the  summit  of  commercial  repu- 
tation. Their  foreign  freightage  em- 
ployed an  incredible  number  of  ships ; 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


while  the  able  management  of  their 
finances  at  home,  procured  them  the 
confidence  and  credit  of  the  world.  At 
the  age  of  thirty-six,  he  married  the 
daughter  of  Colonel  White  ;  she  was 
the  sister  of  the  venerable  Bishop 
White.  At  the  close  of  1775,  he  was 
sent  to  Congress,  and,  after  rendering 
important  services  during  the  war,  he 
was,  in  1781,  imanimously  elected,  by 
Congress,  superintendent  of  national 
finance. 

He  still  continued  his  commercial 
business,  having  formed  a  connection 
with  the  Messrs.  Hazlehurst.  In  1786 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Con- 
vention which  framed  the  Federal  Con- 
stitution, and  in  1788  was  appointed 
United  States  senator.  His  public 
duties,  however,  caused  that  inattention 
to  his  private  aflfairs,  which  finally  re- 
sulted in  those  great  embarrassments  of 
mind  and  circumstances  which  weighed 
upon  his  declining  years.  In  his  old 
age,  Mr.  Morris  embarked  in  vast  land 
speculations,  which  proved  fatal  to  his 
fortune.  The  man  to  whose  financial 
operations  our  country  has  been  said  to 
owe  as  much  as  to  the  negotiations  of 
Franklin,  or  even  the  arm  of  Washing- 
ton, passed  the  latter  years  of  his  life  in 
prison,  confined  for  debt.  He  died  on 
the  8th  of  May,  1806,  in  the  seventy- 
third  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Morris  was  of  large  frame,  with 
a  fine,  open,  bland  countenance,  and 
simple  manners ;  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury, until  the  period  of  his  imprison- 
ment, his  house  was  a  scene  of  the  most 
liberal  hospitality. 


P.  C.  I<aboachere,  the  Touthfal  Prince 
Kerchant. 

In  his  youth,  Labouchere  .com- 
menced his  commercial  training  in 
Nantes,  but  subsequently  engaged  to 
become  a  clerk,  for  a  period  of  three 
years,  to  take  charge  of  the  commercial 
correspondence  of  Hope  &  Co.,  the 
world-renowned  bankers  of  Amster- 
dam.   Shortly  before  the  close  of  this 


term  young  Labouchere  gave  his  prin- 
cipal a  hint  that  a  moderate  increase 
of  salary  was  desirable.  An  answer 
was  promised  for  the  next  morning. 
When  he  went  at  the  appointed  time 
to  receive  the  anticipated  reply,  old  Mr. 
Hope  laid  before  him  for  his  signature, 
a  contract  already  drawn  up,  in  which 
he  named  him  as  his  partner,  with  a 
suitable  share  in  the  profits,  and  in- 
trusted him  with  the  signature  of  that 
vast  abd  princely  house.  Labouchere 
was  at  that  time  only  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  yet  ere  long  assumed  the  emi- 
nent position  of  head  of  the  firm — one 
of  the  first  in  the  world,  and  studied 
the  manners  of  a  French  courtier  pre- 
vious to  the  Revolution  ;  these  manners 
he  soon  made  so  thoroughly  his  own, 
that  they  seemed  to  be  a  part  of  his 
own  nature.  He  made  a  point  of  dis- 
tinguishing himself  in  everything  he 
undertook  by  a  certain  perfection,  and 
carried  this  feeling  so  far,  that,  on  ac- 
count of  the  untractable  lack  of  elasti- 
city in  his  body,  and  a  want  of  ear  for 
music,  which  nature  had  denied  him, 
he  for  eighteen  years  deemed  it  neces- 
sary to  take  dancing  lessons,  because 
he  saw  that  others  surpassed  him  in  that 
graceful  accomplishment.  He  married 
a  daughter  of  the  Barings  :  his  whole 
career,  both  public  and  private,  was 
one  of  almost  unexampled  brilliancy. 


HowQua,  the  senior  Hong:  merchant. 
This  inmiensely  wealthy  and  power- 
ful Chinese  merchant,  whose  mercantile 
fame  was  so  extensive  in  both  hemi- 
spheres as  long  as  he  lived,  was  de- 
scended from  a  respectable  Fo-kien 
family,  long  resident  in  the  principal 
black-tea  district,  and  his  grandfather 
was  one  of  the  Amoy  Hong,  who,  with 
the  progenitors  of  the  Canton  Hong 
merchants,  Poon-ke-qua,  Chunc-qua, 
and  Minqua,  were  ordered  by  the 
emperor  to  remove  to  Canton,  when  aU 
intercourse  was  forbidden  with  the 
English  and  Dutch  at  the  port  of 
Amoy. 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


HowQUA  had  attained  his  seventy- 
fifth  year  when  he  died,  at  Canton,  For 
a  long  time  he  had  been  in  a  feeble  state 
of  health,  with  extremely  attenuated 
frame,  but  with  an  unimpaired  intel- 
lectual vigor  up  to  his  last  illness.  His 
fortune  was  variously  estimated,  but  his 
investments  in  the  British  and  foreign 
funds  were  very  great,  and  it  was  the 
belief  of  those  who  were  most  person- 
ally intimate  with  him,  that  his  wealth 
did  not  fall  short  of  twenty-five  million 
dollars.  With  a  very  small  exception, 
all  his  riches  were  the  result  of  his  own 
industry  and  enterprise.  The  war  with 
the  English  involved  him  in  a  loss  of 
two  million  dollars,  and  his  proportion 
of  the  Canton  ransom  was  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars. 

One  of  the  peculiar  characteristics 
of  Howqua  was  an  inveterate  aversion 
to  new  customs  and  modem  fashions, — 
clinging  with  the  most  conservative 
tenacity  to  the  old,  corrupt  system,  by 
which  his  vast  wealth  was  mainly  ac- 
cumulated. He  was  the  organ  of  com- 
munication between  the  government 
and  the  foreign  merchants,  possessed 
great  power  and  influence  among  his 
countrymen,  was  a  large  landed  pro- 
prietor, and  had  founded  and  endowed 
a  temple  to  Buddha,  in  the  suburbs  of 
Canton. 

It  seems  almost  incredible,  but  it  is 
not  the  less  true,  that,  to  the  last,  he 
directed  his  vast  and  complicated  trade, 
which  almost  encircled  the  globe,  alone. 
His  knowledge,  and  even  familiarity 
with  mercantile  details  connected  with 
the  trade  of  foreign  ports,  was  truly 
astonishing.  Sound  judgment,  true 
prudence,  wary  circumspection,  and  a 
wise  economy,  were  distinguishing 
traits  of  his  mercantile  character.  By 
Englishmen,  Howqua  was  not  liked. 
His  predilections  were  American — and 
justly  so,  seeing  that  he  was  indebted, 
in  an  early  stage  of  his  career,  to  an 
American  citizen,  for  information  he 
•ought  in  vain  from  the  English. 


James  "Wood,  the  Gloucester  Million- 
naire. 

James  Wood,  the  celebrated  shop- 
keeping  millionnaire  and  sole  proprie- 
tor of  the  Old  Gloucester  (Eng.)  Bank, 
— the  oldest  private  bank,  with  the 
exception  of  Childs',  in  England — 
amassed  a  property  of  five  million  of 
dollars.  From  the  earliest  period  in 
his  business  career  to  the  day  of  his 
death,  he  kept  a  shop  such  as  comes 
within  the  description  of  a  chandler's 
shop,  in  which  he  sold  almost  every- 
thing, from  a  mousetrap  to  a  carriage ; 
not  that  his  premises  were  large  enough 
to  contain  all  the  various  stores  in 
which  he  dwelt,  nor  indeed  was  it  re- 
quisite that  they  should — for  his  wealth 
was  sufliciently  known  to  all  the  large 
manufacturers  and  traders,  so  that  they 
were  at  all  times  ready  to  supply  him 
with  goods  to  any  amount.  At  one  end 
of  this  motley  shop,  the  business  of  the 
'  Old  Gloucester  Bank,'  as  it  was  fii- 
miliarly  called,  was  transacted ;  and 
the  whole  establishment  was  managed 
by  himself  and  two  clerks  or  assistants. 
He  was  very  penurious,  and  never  mar- 
ried, entertained  no  company,  visited  no 
one,  spent  his  whole  time  in  his  bank 
or  shop,  and  his  Sundays  in  a  long 
walk  in  the  country.  His  will  involved 
much  litigation,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
proved  a  prolific  source  of  employment 
to  the  gentlemen  of  the  greenbag. 


Coutts,  the  English  Banker. 
The  father  of  Mr.  Coutts,  the  founder 
of  the  celebrated  English  banking  house 
which  bears  his  name,  was  a  merchant 
of  some  eminence  in  the  city  of  Edin- 
burgh. He  had  four  sons ;  the  two 
youngest,  James  and  Thomas,  were 
brought  up  in  their  father's  office. 
James,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  went 
to  London,  and  settled  in  St.  Mary  Axe, 
as  a  Scotch  merchant,  and  subsequently 
started  as  a  banker  on  the  same  spot, 
and  it  is  believed  in  the  same  house 
where  the  business  of  the  bank  is  now 
carried   on.     Some   few   years  after, 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Thomas  joined  his  brother  as  a  partner 
in  the  establishment,  under  the  finn  of 
'James  and  Thomas  Coutts,  Bankers.' 
On  the  death  of  James,  Thomas  was 
left  sole  proprietor  of  the  bank.  Mr. 
Coutts,  the  founder  of  this  eminent 
house,  was  plain  in  his  person,  sedate 
in  his  deportment,  punctual  to  an 
extreme  nicety  in  the  discharge  of  all 
the  duties  of  his  immense  and  success- 
ful business,  frugal  and  sparing  in  his 
personal  expenditure,  singularly  calm 
and  clear  in  his  judgment,  careful  of 
his  health — and  still  more  of  his  repu- 
tation. To  these  traits  the  great  pros- 
perity and  wealth  to  which  Mr.  Coutts 
attained  are  due. 

It  is  related,  as  an  illustration  of  Mr. 
Coutts'  character,  that  one  day,  while 
sitting  at  dinner  with  a  company  of 
bankers  whom  he  had  invited  to  his 
hospitable  board,  he  was  informed  by 
one  of  his  guests,  that  a  certain  noble- 
man had  applied  to  his  house  for  a  loan 
of  thirty  thousand  pounds,  and  had  been 
refused.  Mr.  Coutts  took  no  particular 
notice  of  this  at  the  time,  but  the  moment 
his  guests  had  retired,  which  was  about 
ten  o'clock,  he  started  off  to  the  house 
of  his  lordship,  and  inquiring  for  the 
steward  told  him  his  business,  adding, 
"  Tell  his  lordship,  that  if  he  calls  on 
me  in  the  morning,  he  may  have  what 
he  requires."  On  the  following  morn- 
ing, the  nobleman  went  to  the  bank. 
Mr.  Coutts  received  him  with  great 
politeness,  and  taking  thirty  one-thous- 
and pound  notes  from  a  drawer,  pre- 
sented them  to  his  lordship,  who  was 
most  agreeably  surprised,  and  asked, 
"  What  security  am  I  to  give  you  ?  " 
"I  shall  be  satisfied  with  your  lord- 
ship's note  of  hand,"  was  the  reply. 
This  was  instantly  given.  The  noble- 
man then  said,  "  I  find  I  shall  only 
require,  for  the  present,  ten  thousand 
pounds  of  the  money ;  I  therefore 
return  you  twenty  thousand  pounds, 
with  which  you  will  be  pleased  to  open 
an  account  in  my  name." 

This  handsome  act  of  Mr.  Coutts  was 


not  lost  upon  his  lordship,  who,  in 
addition  to  paying  in,  within  a  few 
months,  two  hundred  thousand  pounds 
to  his  account,  being  the  amount  of 
the  sale  of  an  estate,  recommended 
several  of  the  nobility  to  patronize  Mr. 
Coutts ;  and  further,  his  lordship  related 
the  interesting  circumstance  to  King 
George  the  Third,  who  also  patronized 
him  by  keeping  a  large  amount  of 
money  in  Mr.  Coutts'  bank.  The  king, 
however,  afterward  closed  his  account 
with  Mr.  Coutts,  it  having  come  to  his 
knowledge  that  the  latter  advanced  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  pounds 
toward  Sir  Francis  Burdett's  election 
to  parliament.  In  place  of  'Mi.  Coutts, 
the  king  opened  an  account  with  a 
banker  at  Windsor,  but  this  banker,  to 
the  great  mortification  of  the  king, 
subsequently  foiled,  considerably  in  his 
majesty's  debt. 


Tattersall,  the  Auctioneer,  liondon. 

The  present  noted  auctioneer  in  Lon- 
don, known  as  Tattersall,  is  a  son  of 
the  founder  of  the  great  establishment, 
who  died  while  enjoying  the  sumptuous 
surroundings  in  which  his  princely  for- 
tune enabled  him  to  indulge. 

Nobody  who  sees  Mr.  Tattersall  pre- 
siding in  his  rostrum  during  the  sale 
of  horses,  can  resist  the  conviction  that 
Nature  intended  him  for  an  auctioneer 
of  those  noble  animals.  In  the  rostrum, 
he  is  obviously  in  his  proper  business 
sphere.  He  enters  on  his  vocation 
with  heart  and  soul,  each  succeeding 
day.  He  has  no  idea  of  happiness  be- 
yond the  auction  yard.  The  very  sight 
of  the  hammer,  or  rather  of  himself 
wielding  the  hammer,  is  to  him  an  en- 
joyment of  the  first  magnitude.  His 
own  voice,  when  expatiating  in  praise 
of  any  horse  that  "  is  to  be  sold,"  has 
inexpressible  charms  to  his  ear.  There 
is  not  a  sound  in  the  world  that  he  will 
acknowledge  to  be  half  so  musical  to 
him,— except  it  be  the  sound  of  some 
voice  whose  proprietor  is  making   a 


EARLY   CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


"  handsome  bidding  "  for  the  animal  in 
the  market. 

Mr.  Tattersall,  though  a  man  of  few 
words  compared  with  the  voluble 
school  of  auctioneers  in  general,  is  a 
very  adroit  and  successful  knight  of 
the  hammer.  He  is  dexterous  in  dis- 
covering who  among  all  that  surround 
him  are  the  parties  really  intending  to 
buy,  and  to  them  in  succession  he 
addresses  himself.  His  very  look, 
unaccompanied  by  a  single  word,  has, 
in  innumerable  cases,  appealed  so  forci- 
bly to  some  bystander,  as  to  draw  out 
"another  guinea  for  the  horse,"  even 
when  the  person  had  fully  resolved  in 
his  own  mind  not  to  advance,  on  any 
earthly  consideration,  a  single  six- 
pence more.  He  holds  in  contempt 
aU  bombastical  diction,  as  in  poor 
taste,  a  waste  of  time,  and  a  positive 
insult  to  the  persons  assembled.  Be- 
sides, he  is  convinced  that  by  his  own 
plain  and  homely,  but  expressive  style, 
he  "  fetches  "  a  far  better  price  for  his 
"  fine  animals,"  than  he  would  by  the 
most  high-soimding  clap-trap  sentences 
that  could  be  strung  together.  He 
usually  contents  himself  with  mention- 
ing the  pedigree  of  the  horse,  praising 
him  as  one  of  the  finest  ever  known ; 
aflfecting  to  be  quite  shocked  at  the 
idea  of  selling  him  at  the  price  offered ; 
assuring  the  company  that  it  would  be 
positively  giving  him  away,  which  of 
course  neither  he  nor  the  proprietor 
can  aflford  to  do ;  and  regretting  that 
he  cannot  bid  himself.  When  an  extra 
quality  of  horse  is  "  up,"  Mr.  Tattersall's 
art  of  winning  upon  the  good  graces 
of  the  company  is  inimitable ;  an 
example  of  which  is  furnished  among 
the  Auction  anecdotes  in  this  volume. 

By  all  his  acquaintance,  Mr.  Tatter- 
sall has  the  reputation  of  being  an  ex- 
cellent-hearted man,  and  is  a  great 
favorite,  personally,  with  all  who  visit 
his  premises,  or  have  occasion  to  do 
business  with  him.  He  is  a  dark-com- 
plexioned man,  with  a  rather  full  face, 
and  wears  a  reserved  expression.    He 


is  slightly  under  medium  size,  of  some- 
what stout  build,  and  very  lame.  The 
number  of  horses  he  sometimes  sells  in 
one  day  is  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  eighty. 


Jacques  Lafitte,  the  French.  Banker. 

Important  results  often  follow  from 
the  most  trifling  incidents.  A  remark- 
able instance  of  this  kind  is  that  afforded 
in  the  history  of  Lafitte,  one  of  the  most 
memorable  among  the  names  of  French 
bankers,  and  which  was  the  foundation 
of  the  colossal  fortune  he  afterward 
accumulated,  and  of  the  scarcely  less 
than  imperial  position  which  he  at  one 
time  held  in  the  councils  of  the  realm. 

When  he  came  to  Paris,  in  1798,  the 
extent  of  his  ambition  was  to  find  a 
situation  in  a  banking  house ;  and  to 
attain  this  object,  he  called  on  M. 
Perregeaux,  the  rich  Swiss  banker,  to 
whom  he  had  a  letter  of  introduction. 
This  gentleman  had  just  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  hotel  of  Mademoiselle 
Gurmard,  which  had  been  put  up  in  a 
lottery  by  that  lady,  and  won  by  the 
fortunate  banker.  It  was  to  this  most 
charming  habitation,  which  has  since 
been  demolished,  that  M.  Lafitte  paid 
his  first  visit  in  Paris,  and,  as  it  were, 
took  his  first  step  in  the  brilliant  Paris- 
ian world.  The  young  provincial — 
poor  and  modest,  timid  and  anxious — 
entered  by  that  gateway  which  had 
witnessed  so  many  convivialities  in  the 
last  century. 

He  was  introduced  into  the  boudoir 
of  the  danseuse,  which  had  become  the 
cabinet  of  the  banker,  and  there  modest- 
ly stated  the  object  of  his  visit.  "  It  is 
impossible  for  me  to  admit  you  into  my 
establishment,  at  least  for  the  present," 
replied  the  banker ;  "  all  my  oflBces 
have  their  full  complement.  If  I 
require  any  one  at  a  future  time,  I 
will  see  what  can  be  done;  but,  in 
the  mean  time,  I  advise  you  to  seek 
elsewhere,  for  I  do  not  expect  a  vacancy 
for  a  long  while." 

With  a  disappointed  heart,  the  young 


6 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


aspirant  for  employment  left  the  office ; 
and  "while,  with  a  dejected  air,  he  traver- 
sed the  stately  courtyard,  he  stooped  to 
pick  up  a  pin  which  lay  in  his  path,  and 
which  he  carefully  stuck  in  the  lappel 
of  his  coat.  Little  did  he  think  that 
this  trivial  action  was  to  decide  his 
future  fate  and  open  up  so  famous  a 
destiny  to  him ;  but  so  it  was.  From 
the  windows  of  his  cabinet,  M.  Perre- 
geaux  had  observed  the  movement  of 
the  young  man.  The  Swiss  banker 
was  one  of  those  keen  observers  and 
quick  interpreters  of  human  actions, 
who  estimate  the  value  of  circum- 
stances apparently  trifling  in  them- 
selves, and  which  would  pass  unnoticed 
by  the  majority  of  mankind.  He  was 
delighted  with  the  conduct  of  the 
young  stranger.  In  this  simple  action, 
he  saw  the  revelations  of  a  character. 
It  was  a  guarantee  of  a  love  of  order 
and  economy,  a  certain  pledge  of  the 
qualities  in  especial  which  should  be 
possessed  by  a  good  financier.  A  young 
man  who  would  thus  painstakingly 
pick  up  a  pin,  could  not  fail  to  make 
a  good  clerk,  merit  the  confidence  of 
his  employer,  and  reach  a  high  degree 
of  prosperity.  In  the  evening  of  the 
same  day,  M.  Lafitte  received  the  follow- 
ing note  from  M.  Perregeaux  : — 

"  A  place  is  made  for  you  in  my  office, 
which  you  may  take  possession  of  to- 
morrow morning." 

The  anticipations  of  the  banker  were 
not  disappointed.  The  young  Lafitte 
possessed  every  desirable  quality,  and 
even  more  than  was  at  first  expected. 
From  a  simple  clerk,  he  soon  rose  to  be 
cashier,  then  partner,  then  head  of  the 
first  banking  house  in  Paris ;  and  after- 
wards, in  rapid  succession,  a  Deputy, 
and  President  of  the  Council  of  Minis- 
ters— the  highest  point  to  which  a 
citizen  could  aspire.  Rarely  have  riches 
been  placed  in  better  hands — rarely  has 
banker  or  prince  made  a  more  noble  use 
of  them.  In  1836,  M.  Lafitte  founded 
the  joint-stock  bank  which  goes  by  his 
name,  and  of  which  he  was  the  head 


and  principal  partner.  His  fortunes 
changed  materially,  for  the  worse,  after 
the  Revolution.  He  died  in  May,  1844, 
and  was  buried  with  great  magnificence 
in  the  cemetery  of  Pfere  la  Chaise.  He 
left  one  daughter,  who  married  the 
prince  of  Moskowa,  the  son  of  Marshal 
Ney. 

*    ■■ 

"William  Forbes,  Scotch  Banker. 

The  private  banking  house  once  uni- 
versally known  in  Scotland  under  the 
lead  of  SiK  William  Forbes,  had  a 
somewhat  peculiar  genealogy,  reaching 
far  back  into  the  last  century,  and  even 
faintly  gleaming  through  the  obscurities 
of  the  one  before  it,  when  mercantile 
efforts  and  speculations  were  taking 
their  birth  amidst  the  embers  of  scarcely 
extinct  civil  wars  and  all  kinds  of  pri- 
vate barbarisms.  The  genealogy  is 
traced  to  the  firm  of  John  Coutts  & 
Co.,  of  Edinburgh,  in  1743,  and  the 
concern  appears  to  be  the  main  stock 
from  which  branched  off  the  eminent 
London  banking  firms  of  Coutts  &  Co. 
and  Herries  &  Co.  It  was  the  first 
banking  house  in  Edinburgh. 

Bom  in  1734,  and  fatherless  when 
four  years  of  age,  Sir  William  had  but 
little  other  means  of  help  than  the 
usual  Scotch  thrift.  He  rose,  however, 
to  be  the  head  of  the  house  which  he 
had  entered  as  an  apprentice,  without 
a  capital,  at  fifteen ;  recovered  the  lost 
fortunes  of  his  family,  aided  materially 
in  establishing  those  of  his  country 
on  a  solid  basis,  and  even  became 
the  sole  preserver  of  much  of  her 
literary  history  which  must  otherwise 
have  perished. 

Originally  confined  to  commercial 
dealing  and  general  business  traffic, 
the  sole  transactions  of  the  house  finally 
came  to  be  those  of  banking.  It  sub- 
sequently yielded,  once  or  twice,  to  the 
temptation  of  mercantile  or  merchan- 
dize speculation,  but  suffered  from  it, 
and  ever  afterward  refused  to  engage, 
directly  or  indirectly,  in  anything  but 
banking.    Mr.  Forbes  died,  in  1806,  at 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


the  age  of  sixty-seven,  and  to  his  vir- 
tues Scott  has  paid  a  merited  tribute 
in  the  dedication  of  one  of  the  cantos 
of  Marmion. 


K.  Steifflltz,  Biohest  of  Kussian  Mer- 
chants. 

What  the  name  of  Rothschild  is  in 
other  countries,  and  that  of  Aster  in 
America,  the  name  of  Steiglitz  is  in 
Russia,  and  has  been  for  half  a  century. 
It  would  doubtless  still  continue  to 
hold  this  pre-eminence,  but  for  the 
voluntary  retirement  of  the  proprietor, 
two  or  three  years  since,  with  a  fortune 
computed,  by  Russian  authorities,  at 
scores  of  millions  of  dollars, — acquired 
by  his  connection  with  all  the  great 
financial  concerns  of  the  empire,  and 
the  numerous  and  extensive  manufac- 
tories, sugar  refineries,  etc.,  which  he 
carried  on. 

M.  Steiglitz,  senior,  arrived  in  Russia 
about  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century ;  he  came  firom  Hamburgh,  and 
was  a  Jew  by  birth,  but  subsequently 
abandoned  that  faith  and  identified 
himself  with  Christianity.  Immediately 
after  his  arrival  in  Russia  he  entered 
into  business,  and  founded  the  great 
commercial  and  banking  house  which 
he  bequeathed  to  his  son,  vrith  the  title 
of  Baron,  and  a  prodigious  fortune. 
M.  Steiglitz,  junior,  subsequently  man- 
aged the  house,  and  with  such  ability 
and  success  as  to  be  able  to  retire  with 
an  estate  valued  at  little  short  oi  fifty 
millions  of  dollars.  This  vast  fortune 
consists  in  capital  deposited  in  the  im- 
perial banks,  in  shares  in  the  best  Rus- 
sian companies,  and  in  landed  estates, 
both  in  the  south  of  Russia,  in  Livonia, 
and  in  Germany.  He  has  the  rank  of 
Councillor  of  State,  and  is  decorated 
with  the  grand  cordon  of  the  Order  of 
St.  Stanislaus.  He  married  a  Mdlle. 
MuUer,  belonging  to  a  highly  respect- 
able, though  not  wealthy  family,  and 
ha?  no  children. 


Solomon,  the  Merchant  Sovereign. 

King  Solomon  was  at  once  monarch 
and  merchant;  and  it  may  easily  be 
inferred,  that  no  private  merchant 
could  safely  compete  with  a  prince 
so  regal,  who  had  assumed  the  mer- 
cantile character.  By  his  intimate 
commercial  union  with  the  Tyrians,  he 
was  put  into  the  most  favorable  of  all 
positions  for  disposing  of  his  goods. 
That  energetic  nation,  possessing  so 
small  a  strip  of  territory,  had  much 
need  of  various  raw  produce  for  their 
own  wants.  Another  large  demand 
was  made  by  them  for  the  raw  materials 
of  manufactures,  and  for  articles  which 
they  could  with  advantage  sell  again ; 
and  as  they  were  able,  in  turn,  to  sell 
so  many  acceptable  luxuries  to  the  court 
of  Solomon,  a  most  active  exchange 
soon  commenced.  The  carrying  trade, 
which  was  shared  between  Solomon  and 
the  Tyrians,  was  probably  the  most 
lucrative  part  of  the  southern  and  east- 
ern commerce.  From  Egypt,  Solomon 
imported  not  only  linen  yarn,  but  even 
horses  and  chariots,  which  were  sold 
again  to  the  princes  of  Syria  and  of  the 
Hittites ;  the  light,  strong,  and  elegant 
structure  of  the  chariots  rendering  them 
very  salable.  Wine  being  abundant  in 
Palestine,  and  wholly  wanting  in  Egypt, 
was,  no  doubt,  a  principal  means  of  re- 
payment. That  Solomon's  trading  cor- 
respondence also  extended  to  Babylon, 
may  be  fairly  inferred.  He  is  said  to 
have  realized  from  a  single  voyage  four 
hundred  and  fifty  talents  of  gold,  that 
is,  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
millions  of  dollars  I  The  business  trans- 
actions of  Solomon,  it  thus  appears, 
were  enormously  large  and  lucrative; 
yet  it  does  not  appear  that  any  fault 
was  foimd  with  him  on  that  account — 
particularly  by  his  own  subjects. 


m.  Bruck,  Austria's  Great  Merchant 
Banker. 
Some  considerable  number  of  years 
back,  when  the  Greeks  were  in  arms  to 


8 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


assert  their  independence,  a  young  man 
with  a  staflF  in  his  hand  and  a  travelling 
knapsack  on  his  back,  presented  him- 
self at  the  office  of  a  Greek  merchant  at 
Trieste,  to  whom  he  had  a  letter  of 
introduction.  Filled  with  youthful 
enthusiasm  for  the  once  glorious  name 
of  Greece,  he  was  on  his  way  to  the 
Morea  with  the  intention  of  joining  the 
Greek  insurgents. 

The  merchant,  pleased  with  the 
youth's  appearance,  and  perhaps  influ- 
enced by  the  letter  of  introduction, 
thought  it  a  pity  that  so  much  intelli- 
gence should  be  employed  in  warlike 
rather  than  in  peaceful  pursuits,  and  en- 
deavored to  dissuade  him  from  his  pur- 
pose. To  give  his  argument  its  desired 
eflfect,  he  offered  the  adventurer  a  clerk- 
ship in  his  office.  The  offer  was  imme- 
diately accepted.  The  young  man's  n  ame 
was  Bruck,  He  doubtless  devoted  him- 
self with  much  zeal  to  the  interests  of 
his  patron,  for  in  a  few  years  he  became 
the  head-clerk  and  manager  of  his  busi- 
ness. A  courtship  shortly  afterwards 
took  place  between  him  and  the  mer- 
chant's daughter,  which  ended  in  mar- 
riage with  her  and  a  partnership  in 
business  with  her  father. 

This  man  became  one  of  the  ruling 
spirits  in  European  commerce  and 
finance,  the  extent  of  his  business 
operations  comporting  with  the  high 
repute  of  the  house  with  which  he  was 
identified.  M.  Bruck  devoted  himself 
to  the  formation  of  the  Austrian  Navi- 
gation Company ;  and  he  it  was  who 
established  that  well  known  commer- 
cial institution,  the  Austrian  Lloyd's — 
for  which  he  was  indebted  for  a  name 
to  the  mercantile  phraseology  of  Eng- 
land,— and  which  he  founded  on  prin- 
ciples similar  to  those  by  which  the 
English  Lloyd's  is  conducted.  It  is 
also  due  to  his  energy  that  railroads 
have  been  introduced  and  extended  in 
Austria.  And  in  addition  to  all  this, 
his  great  financial  and  business  talents 
caused  him  to  be  appointed  Minister 
of  Finance  of  the  Empire, — ^like  La- 


bouchere  in  England,  and  Lafitte  in 
France, 


Jones  liloyd,  Xiotidon  Banker. 
The  firm  of  Jones  Lloyd  &  Co,, 
consisting  of  two  partners — ^father  and 
son — has  long  held  rank  in  London 
with  those  of  the  Coutts,  Glyns,  Deni- 
sons.  Smiths,  Barclays,  Paynes,  Wil- 
lisses,  and  others,  for  immense  extent 
of  business  and  honorable  dealing.  The 
father  has  been  mentioned  as  the  only 
great  banker  in  London  who  has  made 
a  fortune  by  banking,  without  having 
been  bred  to  it.  Banking  sought  him. 
He  preserves,  it  is  said,  to  this  day,  in 
his  bedroom,  a  little  table  which  used 
to  stand  many  years  ago  in  his  shop  at 
Manchester,  and  upon  which,  as  people 
used  to  bring  their  money  to  him,  his 
first  accounts  were  kept.  His  wealth 
has  been  estimated  at  ten  to  twelve 
million  dollars  in  ready  money,  the 
whole  amount  being  kept  floating  in 
convertible  securities  for  immediate 
use.  Mr.  Lewis  Lloyd,  according  to 
his  own  account,  began  business  in 
1793,  at  Manchester,  where  having 
spent  a  year,  he  removed  to  London, 
where  he  concluded  to  remain,  with  a 
partnership  in  the  Manchester  firm. 
According  to  report,  he  was  originally 
a  Unitarian  clergyman,  but  soon  became 
tired  of  that  vocation— finding  it,  as  he 
is  said  to  have  sometimes  confessed  after 
dinner,  "  much  more  profitable  and 
agreeable  to  spend  his  time  in  turning 
over  bank  notes,  than  in  turning  up  the 
whites  of  his  eyes."  Mr,  Lloyd  seems 
to  have  been  somewhat  partial  to  this 
style  of  remark.  Thus,  when  Frys  and 
Chapman,  the  Quaker  bankers,  failed, 
a  member  of  the  society  took  his  ac- 
count to  Mr.  Lloyd  :  *'  We  think  you 
are  right,  fiiend,"  said  the  senior  part- 
ner ;  "  it  is  wiser  to  put  thy  money 
with  a  rich  sinner  than  a  poor  saint," 


James  lienox,  Kerchant,  of  New  York. 

The  name  of  Lenox  appears  among 

some  of  the  early  Scotch  emigrants, 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


9 


sucli  as  the  Irvings,  Masons,  Douglasses, 
Grahams,  &c.  Robert  Lenox  became 
a  distinguished  New  York  merchant. 
His  profits  were  wisely  invested  in 
land,  and  this  became  very  valuable. 
His  only  son,  James,  inherited  the 
larger  portion  of  this  estate,  whose 
increasing  value  made  him  a  mUlioa- 
naire. 

In  his  benefactions,  Mr,  Lenox  is  said 
to  exercise  close  discrimination,  and  in 
this  way  has  for  years  refused  personal 
applications.  This  measure,  indeed, 
was  necessary,  in  order  to  escape  a 
perpetual  siege,  which  would  soon  have 
driven  any  man  to  distraction.  He 
has  been  in  the  habit  of  considering 
written  applications,  and  of  selecting 
such  as  seemed  worthy  of  his  patron- 
age. Mr.  Lenox  annually  disburses,  it 
is  stated,  an  enormous  sum  in  a  most 
useful  as  well  as  most  quiet  manner. 
Indeed,  his  mansion  has  been  described 
as  one  of  the  benevolent  institutions  of 
the  day — its  occupant  being,  to  all 
intents  and  purposes,  but  an  actuary, 
driven  by  perpetual  duties  and  working 
with  assiduity  to  fulfil  an  important 
trust.  He  is  a  thoroughly  practical  man, 
posted  on  all  the  details  of  business, 
and,  inheriting  the  peculiar  abilities 
and  energy  of  his  father,  puts  them  to 
the  best  of  use. 

Mr.  Lenox  is  a  man  of  fine  taste,  and 
finds  recreation  in  gathering  rare  books, 
of  which  he  has  a  valuable  collection, 
and  he  possesses,  in  addition,  a  splendid 
gallery  of  pictures,  among  these  being 
two  of  Turner's  landscapes. 


Daniel  Callagrlian,  the  Irish  Mercantile 
Celebrity. 

One  of  the  ablest  and  most  accom- 
plished merchants  that  Ireland  ever 
produced  was  Daniel  Callaghan,  the 
elder, — shooting  ahead  of  all  the  mer- 
chants in  Ireland,  by  his  native  abili- 
ties, his  shrewdness,  enterprise,  and 
tact.  He  set  up,  when  but  a  stripling, 
in  the  butter  trade,  but  was  refused 
credit  for  the  small  amount  of  £400  at 


Tonson  &  "Warren's  bank,  as  his  first  ex- 
perience. He,  however,  finally  obtained 
the  aid  he  was  in  need  of,  and  from 
that  time  pursued  his  business  with 
great  success.  A  great  London  mer- 
chant took  the  whole  provision  contract 
at  that  time,  and  the  Cork  merchants 
combined  to  engross  the  market.  This 
was  the  moment  chosen  by  Callaghan 
to  reap  the  reward  of  the  study  he  had 
bestowed,  so  inquiringly ^nd  systemati- 
cally, upon  the  business  of  his  choice. 
Alarmed  at  their  position,  one  of  the 
Londoners  came  over,  and  was  still 
more  dismayed  when  he  reached  Cork. 
Young  Callaghan  introduced  himself, 
and,  what  was  then  thought  a  most 
presuming  thing  on  his  part,  he  gave 
a  dinner  to  the  Londoner,  to  which, 
however,  he  had  some  diflSculty  in 
getting  guests.  He  soon  showed  the 
London  firm  the  game  it  should  play, 
and  expounded  all  the  resources  in 
their  power,  to  their  enlightenment.  A 
share  of  the  contract  was  immediately 
given  him,  and,  before  the  year  expired, 
the  same  firm  handed  Callaghan  £10,- 
000,  on  his  own  word,  after  having 
hesitated,  only  nine  months  before,  to 
take  his  bond  with  security  for  a  few 
hundreds.  There  have  been  a  few  Irish 
merchants  who  have  realized  greater 
fortunes  than  Mr.  C,  who,  at  his  cul- 
minating point,  was  rated  at  con- 
siderably above  a  million ;  but  it  was 
the  splendid  style  in  which  he  trans- 
acted his  affairs,  his  off-hand  deal- 
ing, his  liberality  and  contempt  for 
peddling,  and  his  complete  mercan- 
tile accomplishments,  that  placed  him 
at  the  head  of  the  Irish  commercial 
world. 


Henry  Engrelbert  Haase,  Banker,  of 
Bremen. 

Among  those  who  have  reached  and 
passed  through  the  "  golden  gate  "  of 
commercial  success,  is  Henry  Enqel- 
BERT  Haase,  of  Bremen,  widely  known 
at  home  and  abroad,  but  whose  career 
terminated  so  disastrously.    By  trade 


10 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


lie  amassed  a  large  property,  and  was 
one  of  tlie  most  higUy  respected  busi- 
ness men  in  Bremen — holding  several 
public  offices,  was  trustee  of  various 
funds,  administrator  of  many  estates, 
and  guardian  of  a  large  number  of  or- 
phan children.  In  fact,  he  abounded  in 
both  public  and  private  charities,  and  he 
was  always  the  one  above  all  others  to 
whom  his  Mends  intrusted  their  obli- 
gations when  they  were  absent  from 
the  city.  A  certain  coxcombry — for 
instance,  he  wore  jewels  and  lace, 
which  was  not  usual,  and  took  every 
measure  to  conceal  his  age — was  for- 
given him,  on  account  of  the  high 
esteem  which  he  universally  enjoyed. 
No  one  ever  ventured  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  ridicule  Alderman  Haase — in 
the  opinion  of  every  one,  he  stood 
higher  than  any  other  man  in  Bremen. 
He  was  remarkably  hospitable  ;  enter- 
taining every  week  a  distinguished 
company,  and  a  degree  of  luxury  was 
exhibited  at  his  dinners,  excusable  only 
in  a  rich  man  without  children.  In  his 
annual  statement  of  the  different  trust 
funds  he  had  in  charge,  he  warmly 
solicited  the  inspection  of  the  books, 
and  often  pretended  that  the  value  of 
the  property  had  increased  by  advan- 
tageous purchase  and  sale  of  stocks, 
and  frequently  offered  to  show  the 
overseers  the  certificates  in  various 
closets  and  oaken  chests;  but  it  was 
naturally  deemed  a  gross  imputation 
on  such  a  wealthy  trustee  and  sternly 
particular  accountant,  as  well  as  a 
downright  waste  of  time,  to  accept  the 
offer.  But  at  last,  in  one  of  the  ways 
peculiar  in  such  cases,  an  explosion 
took  place,  and  his  defalcations,  squan- 
dered in  luxury  and  "  charity,"  were 
found  to  be  immense.  His  house  fell, 
and  "  great  was  the  fall  of  it." 


Preserved  Fish,  Kerchant,  of  New 
York. 

No  name  was  better  known  in  the 

mercantile  community  of  New  York 

than  this,  during  the  advanced  life- 


time of  its  owner.  Mr.  Fish  was  bom 
in  Rhode  Island,  July  3,  1766,  of 
parents  in  obscure  circumstances.  I^e 
was  at  an  early  age  apprenticed  to  the 
blacksmith  business,  but  becoming  dis- 
satisfied with  his  employment  and  em- 
ployers, he  ran  away,  and  shipped  as  a 
eabin  boy  in  a  whaling  vessel.  In  this 
trade  he  made  several  voyages,  grad- 
ually rising  until  he  became  master  of 
a  small  whaling  craft,  and  finally  by 
his  economy  and  industry  accumula- 
ting a  little  capital. 

In  1810,  he  quit  his  seafaring  life 
and  settled  in  New  York,  forming  a 
business  copartnership  with  his  cousin, 
Mr.  Joseph  Grinnell,  under  the  style  of 
Fish  &  Grinnell,  and  which  lasted  until 
1825,  when  Mr.  Fish  went  to  Europe 
and  established  a  house  in  Liverpool, 
under  the  name  of  Fish,  Caims  & 
Crary.  He  soon  after  returned  to  New 
York,  forming  a  copartnership  with 
Mr.  Saul  Alley  and  Joseph  Lawrence, 
under  the  style  of  Fish,  Alley  &  Law- 
rence, but  which  only  continued  for 
two  or  three  years.  As  president  of 
the  Tradesmen's  bank,  to  which  posi- 
tion he  was  elected  in  1829,  his  manage- 
ment was  very  successful,  as  the  high 
dividends  and  large  contingent  fund 
of  that  institution,  under  his  adminis- 
tration, show. 

Mr.  Fish  was  remarkable  for  great 
energy  and  decision  of  character,  pur- 
suing with  ardor  anything  he  imder- 
took,  and,  like  most  men  of  this  char- 
acter, he  was  rather  opinionative,  and 
always  firm  in  maintaining  his  own 
notions — ^possessing  but  little  of  the 
sumiter  in  modo^  that  oily  process  of 
operating  which  distinguishes  the  more 
polished  man.  Perhaps  this  trait  which 
characterized  Mr.  Fish  may  be  said  to 
have  been  illustrated  in  the  remark 
made  by  a  certain  eminent  man,  that 
"  whenever  I  issue  an  order  to  a  servant, 
I  say  if  you  please,  and  if  he  don't  please, 
I  make  Mm  pleased  Still,  in  busi- 
ness qualifications,  Mr.  Fish  had  few 
superiors,  and  enjoyed  the   universal 


EARLY   CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


11 


confidence  of  the  mercantile  commu- 
nity. 

It  may  be  said  of  him,  that  he  was 
temperate  in  his  habits,  moderate  in 
his  desires,  and  neither  parsimonious 
nor  prodigal  in  his  expenses ;  while  his 
industry,  economy  and  good  judgment, 
enabled  him  to  realize  a  fortune  from 
which  he  derived  an  abundant  income. 
He  was  three  times  married,  but  left  no 
children.  The  story  that  he  was  picked 
up  at  sea,  on  a  plank  or  in  an  open 
boat,  and  in  that  way  acquired  the 
name  Preserved,  was  unfounded  in 
truth;  but  its  peculiarity  probably 
added  notoriety  to  a  character  already 
distinguished  for  consistency,  a  discrim- 
inating judgment  and  stem  integrity. 

The  name  of  David  Leavitt  may  also 
be  here  cited  as  that  of  one  who  exhibits 
in  his  habits  of  industry  and  his  business 
judgment,  as  well  as  financial  success, 
a  parallel  case  with  that  of  Mr.  Fish. 
And  to  these  distinguishing  qualities 
as  a  business  man,  Mr.  Leavitt  unites 
the  personal  bearing  of  a  bland  and 
high-toned  gentleman  of  the  old  school. 
Few  names  stand  out  brighter  on  the 
roUof  illustrious  American  merchants, 
— attaining  to  wealth  and  distinction  by 
every  honorable  means  perseveringly  ap- 
plied,— than  that  of  David  Leavitt. 


Amos  Iiawrence,  Herchant,  Boston. 
According  to  the  usual  custom  in 
New  England,  the  first  experience  of 
Amos  Lawrence,  in  the  sphere  of  busi- 
ness, was  that  of  shop  boy,  and  subse- 
quently that  of  clerk.  The  firm  by  whom 
he  was  thus  employed  having,  in  course 
of  time,  become  insolvent,  Mr.  L.  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  commencing  business 
on  his  own  account,  and  accordingly 
rented  a  shop  on  Comhill,  Boston.  He 
was  then,  he  says,  in  the  matter  of 
property,  not  worth  a  dollar.  His 
father  was  comfortably  off  as  a  farmer, 
son^ewhat  in  debt,  with  perhaps  four 
thousand  dollars.  His  brother  Luther 
was  in  the  practice  of  law,  getting  for- 
ward, but  not  worth  two  thousand  dol- 


lars ;  William  had  nothing ;  Abbott,  a 
lad  just  fifteen  years  old,  at  school ;  and 
Samuel  was  a  child  of  only  seven  years. 
Some  four  months  before,  Mr.  Law- 
rence's father  mortgaged  his  farm  for  the 
sum  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  placed 
the  proceeds  in  the  hands  of  Amos,  for 
his  use  in  business.  Although  the  latter 
was  deeply  affected  by  this  act,  which 
had  been  effected  without  consultation 
with  any  human  being,  he  did  not  the 
less  deeply  regret  it.  He  had  no  desire 
for  aid  that  might  cause  others  to  suffer 
through  their  affording  it.  His  own 
ideas  on  this  point  will  be  interesting : 
"  My  honored  father  brought  to  me  one 
thousand  dollars,  and  asked  me  to  give 
him  my  note  for  it.  I  told  him  he  did 
wrong  to  place  himself  in  a  situation  to 
be  made  unhappy,  if  I  lost  the  money. 
He  told  me  he  guessed  IwouWnt  lose  it, 
and  I  gave  him  my  note.  The  first 
thing  I  did  was  to  take  four  per  cent, 
premium  on  my  Boston  bills — the  dif- 
ference then  between  passable  and  Bos- 
ton money — and  send  a  thousand  dol- 
lars in  bills  of  the  Hillsborough  Bank 
to  Amherst,  N.  H,,  by  my  father,  to  my 
brother  Luther,  to  carry  to  the  bank 
and  get  specie,  principally  in  silver 
change,  for  the  bills,  and  he  returned 
it  to  me  in  a  few  days.  In  the  mean 
time,  or  shortly  after,  the  bank  had  been 
sued,  the  bills  discredited,  and,  in  the 
end,  proved  nearly  worthless.  I  deter- 
mined not  to  use  the  money  except  in 
the  safest  way,  and  therefore  loaned  it 
to  the  Messrs.  Parkman,  in  whom  I  had 
entire  confidence.  After  I  had  been  in 
business,  and  had  made  more  than  a 
thousand  dollars,  I  felt  that  I  could 
repay  the  money,  come  what  would  of 
it — being  insured  against  fire,  and 
trusting  no  one  for  goods.  I  used  it  in 
my  business,  but  took  care  to  pay  off 
the  mortgage  as  soon  as  it  would  be 
received." 

Mr.  Lawrence  cleared  fifteen  hundred 
dollars  the  first  year,  and  four  thousand 
the  second.  Excessive  credit  he  re- 
garded as  the  rock  upon  which  so  many 


12 


COMMERCIAL   AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


business  men  are  broken.  He  there- 
fore, at  the  commencement  of  his  own 
business,  adopted  the  plan  of  keeping 
an  accurate  account  of  merchandise 
bought  and  sold  each  day,  with  the 
profit,  as  far  as  practicable.  This  plan 
he  pursued  for  a  number  of  years ;  and 
he  never  found  his  merchandise  fall 
short  in  taking  an  account  of  stock, 
which  he  did  as  often  at  least  as  once 
in  each  year.  He  was  thus  enabled  to 
form  an  opinion  of  his  actual  state  as  a 
business  man.  He  adopted  also  the 
rule  always  to  have  property,  after  the 
second  year's  business,  to  represent 
forty  per  cent,  at  least  more  than  he 
owed — that  is,  never  to  be  in  debt  more 
than  two  and  one-half  times  his  capital, 
a  plan  which  saved  him  from  ever  get- 
ting embarrassed.  The  splendid  for- 
tune which  Amos  Lawrence  amassed, 
during  his  business  career,  was  thus 
founded  in  the  most  careful  and  up- 
right regulations,  and  to  these  he  rigidly 
adhered.  He  used  his  vast  wealth  for  the 
best  good  of  his  fellow  creatures ;  and 
his  style  of  living,  though  elegant,  as 
became  one  occupying  so  high  a  posi- 
tion, was  marked  by  no  extravagance. 
What  his  distinguished  namesake,  Cor- 
nelius W.  Lawrence,  has  so  long  been 
in  the  commercial  circles  of  the  Empire 
State, — or  its  metropolis, — Amos  Law- 
rence was  in  New  England  and  its 
thriving  capital.  The  history  of  both 
of  these  men  is  luminous  with  those 
traits  and  characteristics  which  lie  at 
the  foundation  of  prosperous  commerce 
and  individual  renown. 


liOrenzo  de  Kedicis,  "  the  Magnificent 
merchant." 

The  Medici  family  is  universally 
acknowledged  to  be  the  most  splendid 
instance  of  commercial  greatness  which 
the  world  aflFords.  The  true  source  of 
the  wealth  and  renown  of  the  Medici 
was  their  superior  talents,  and  the 
application  of  those  talents  to  mercan- 
tile enterprise. 

Cosmo  de  Medici  and  his  grandson. 


"  the  Magnificent  Lorenzo,"  were  prac- 
tised and  operative  merchants,  who  by 
combining  personal  enterprise  with  the 
most  exalted  patriotism,  and  a  love  of 
trade  with  a  devotion  to  science  and 
literature,  raised  the  city  of  Florence  to 
an  unexampled  height  of  glory,  and 
made  themselves  the  first  citizens  of  the 
world. 

The  high  character  of  Loeenzo,  as  a 
statesman  and  man  of  letters,  was  the 
means  of  obtaining  from  other  countries 
privileges  and  advantages  which  ren- 
dered Florence  the  envy  of  the  civilized 
world".  The  glory  of  the  republic 
appeared  at  a  distance  to  be  concentred 
in  himself.  He  seems  to  have  arrived 
at  proficiency  in  everything  he  under- 
took, and  his  individual  success  was 
made  subservient  to  his  country's 
good,  his  private  gains  being  freely 
devoted  to  the  defense  of  the  state  and 
the  preservation  of  its  honor. 

Under  the  auspices  of  this  family  of 
merchants,  literature,  science,  and  the 
arts,  flourished  side  by  side  with  com- 
merce. The  Medicean  Library,  founded 
by  Cosmo,  and  supported  by  his  grand- 
son, still  exists  in  Florence,  presenting 
the  noblest  of  the  many  monuments  of 
their  glory,  the  most  authentic  deposi- 
tory of  their  magnificent  fame. 

Historians,  poets,  and  philosophers, 
have  combined  to  swell  the  notes  of 
praise  in  honor  of  the  merchant  to 
whom  posterity  has  awarded  the  title 
of  "  Magnificent."  Thus,  Voltaire  says  : 
"  What  a  curious  sight  it  is  to  see  the 
same  person  with  one  hand  sell  the 
commodities  of  the  Levant,  and  with 
the  other  support  the  burden  of  a  state, 
maintaining  factors  and  receiving  am- 
bassadors, making  war  and  peace,  op- 
posing the  pope,  and  giving  his  ad- 
vice and  mediation  to  the  princes  of 
his  time,  cultivating  and  encouraging 
learning,  exhibiting  shows  to  the  peo- 
ple, and  giving  an  asylum  to  the  learned 
Greeks  that  fled  from  Constantinople  I 
Such  was  Lorenzo  de  Medicis ;  and 
when  to  these  particular  distinctions, 


EARLY  CAEEER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


13 


the  glorious  names  of  the  father  of  his 
country  and  the  mediator  of  Italy  are 
appended,  who  seems  more  entitled  to 
the  notice  and  admiration  of  posterity 
than  this  illustrious  citizen  of  Flor- 
ence ? "  This  eulogy  is  as  beautifully 
as  it  is  wisely  and  truthfully  penned. 

The  death  of  this  great  man,  whose 
splendid  career  terminated  at  the  early 
age  of  forty-four  years,  called  forth  from 
his  townsman  and  contemporary,  the 
wise  but  profligate  Machiavelli,  the  fol- 
lowing encomium :  "  No  man  ever 
died  in  Florence,  or  in  the  whole  extent 
of  Italy,  with  a  higher  reputation,  or 
more  lamented  by  his  country.  Not 
only  his  fellow  citizens,  but  all  the 
princes  of  Italy,  were  so  sensibly  affect- 
ed by  his  death,  that  there  was  not  one 
of  them  who  did  not  send  ambassadors 
to  Florence,  to  testify  their  grief,  and 
to  condole  with  the  republic  on  so  great 
a  loss."  The  busts  and  portraits  of  this 
illustrious  merchant  adorn  almost  every 
art-collection  and  gallery  in  the  capitals 

of  Europe. 

« 

Henry  Hope,  the  Amsterdam  Banker. 

The  great  Amsterdam  banking  house 
of  Hope  &  Co.  was  established  in  the 
seventeenth  century  by  Henby  Hope, 
a  Scottish  gentleman,  a  descendant  of 
John  de  Hope,  who  came  in  1537  from 
France  to  Scotland,  in  the  train  of 
Madeleine,  queen  of  James  V. 

Mr.  Hope  was  one  of  the  most  exalted 
of  his  class.  It  was  he  who  opened  the 
way  for  the  autocratic  power  of  Russia, 
under  the  empress  Catharine  H.,  to  the 
confidence  of  the  then  wealthiest  cap- 
italists in  Europe,  the  Dutch,  and  there- 
by laid  the  foundation  of  Russian  credit. 
Always  treated  by  the  empress  with 
great  distinction,  he  was  honored  with 
the  gift  from  her  own  hand,  of  her 
portrait,  the  full  size  of  life.  This  pic- 
ture occupied  the  place  of  honor  in  the 
superb  gallery  of  paintings,  fitted  up 
by  Mr.  Hope  in  his  palace  "  t'Huys  ten 
Bosch,"  now  a  royal  pleasure-place, 
which  he  had  built  in  the  domain  of 


Harlem.  Upon  his  emigration  to  Eng- 
land, he  took  this  splendid  gallery, 
entirely  composed  of  cabinet  pieces, 
with  him,  having  it  at  his  residence 
in  Cavendish  Square. 

To  the  tone  of  a  refined  gentleman 
and  man  of  the  world,  he  united  a  cer- 
tain amiable  affabiUty,  which  won 
upon  all  who  were  numbered  among 
his  associates.  The  trouble  of  his  heart, 
however,  was  the  notorious  relations  of 
his  niece,  Madam  Williams  Hope, 
with  a  Dutch  officer  of  dragoons,  by  the 
name  of  Dopflf.  The  larger  part  of 
Hope's  fortune,  which  he  had  bequeath- 
ed to  Henry,  the  eldest  son  of  this  niece, 
and  who  died  unmarried,  passed,  at 
the  decease  of  the  latter,  to  Adrian,  the 
second  son,  who  left  no  male  heirs,  but 
from  whom  it  descended  to  Francis,  the 
third  son,  born  several  years  afterward, 
— this  third  inheritor  being  the  rich  and 
well  known  Mr.  Hope,  of  Paris,  the  last 
member  of  that  branch  of  the  whole 
family. 

One  of  the  leading  members  of 
this  vast  establishment,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  present  century,  was  Mr. 
Henry  Hope,  who  was  born  in  this 
country,  being  the  son  of  a  Scotch  loy- 
alist who  had  settled  in  Boston,  Mass. 
This  Henry  Hope  lived  some  time  in 
the  town  of  Quincy,  Mass.,  and  was  a 
poor  youth  when  he  emigrated  from 
that  place  to  England,  at  the  close  of 
the  last  century.  Mr.  John  Williams, 
an  Englishman,  who  married  his  niece, 
and  who  assumed  the  name  of  John 
Williams  Hope,  and  afterward  that  of 
John  Hope,  was  the  manager  of  the 
establishment.  Among  the  silent  part- 
ners of  the  house  were  Adrian  Hope, 
Henry  Philip  Hope,  and  Thomas  Hope, 
the  author  of  "  Anastasius."  The  oldest 
active  member  of  the  firm  was  Mr,  Peter 
Caesar  Labouchere,  the  interesting  cir- 
cumstances relating  to  whom,  in  his 
elevation  to  this  high  position,  are 
narrated  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

The  governments  with  whom  this 
house    entertain    the   most    intimate 


14 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


financial  relations,  are  those  of  Hol- 
land, Russia,  and  Spain.  The  Hope 
certificates,  as  the  stocks  are  called, 
which  the  Russian  government  has 
given  to  the  Dutch  bankers,  in  ac- 
knowledgment of  its  debt,  amount  to 
about  twenty-five  millions  of  dollars. 
Although  much  less  powerful  in  its 
monetary  sway  than  the  Rothschilds, 
the  Hopes  hold  in  some  respects  a  posi- 
tion superior  to  the  Jewish  bankers.  Sir 
Archibald  Hope,  and  the  Earl  of  Hope- 
toun  (John  Alexander  Hope),  are  the 
present  representatives  of  the  English 
and  elder  branch  of  the  Hope  family. 
Some  of  the  great  financial  transac- 
tions of  this  eminent  house,  as  given 
in  other  parts  of  this  volume,  will  be 
found  to  possess  scarcely  less  interest 
than  a  romance. 


Prancia  Child,  the  Founder  of  Eng'lish 
Sankinff  Houses. 

The  celebrity  of  the  first  London 
banking  house  belongs,  by  common 
consent,  to  Mr.  Fkancis  Child.  This 
gentleman,  who  was  the  father  of  his 
profession,  and  possessed  a  large  pro- 
perty, began  business  shortly  after  the 
Restoration.  He  was,  originally,  ap- 
prenticed to  William  Wheeler,  pawn- 
broker and  banker,  whose  shop  was 
on  the  site  of  the  present  world- 
renowned  banking  house.  The  foun- 
dation of  his  importance  arose  from 
the  good  old  fashion  of  marrying  his 
master's  daughter,  and  through  this  he 
succeeded  to  his  estate  and  business. 
The  latter  he  subsequently  confined 
entirely  to  the  banking  department. 
The  principles  on  which  he  founded 
it,  and  the  remarkable  clauses  in  his 
will,  by  which  he  regulated  its  future 
conduct,  show  him  to  have  been  a 
man  of  the  highest  business  character. 
It  has  maintained  to  the  present  day, 
amid  all  the  chances  and  changes  of 
banking,  the  same  position  and  the 
same  respectability  which  he  bequeath- 
ed to  it. 


Stephen  Whitney,  Uerchant,  of  New 
York. 

Stephen  Whitney  was  so  long  an 
habitue  of  Wall  street.  Front  street,  and 
Coenties  slip,  that  even  now  (says  a 
writer  in  the  "  Continental  Magaziae  ") 
we  almost  momentarily  expect  to  meet 
him.  His  office  was  held  for  years  in 
the  second  story  of  a  warehouse  in 
Front  street,  a  spot  in  whose  vicinity 
he  had  passed  nearly  threescore  years. 
Thither  he  had  come,  in  his  boyhood, 
a  poor,  friendless,  New  Jersey  lad,  had 
found  friends  and  employment,  had  at 
last  got  to  be  a  grocer,  and  had 
gradually  accumulated  a  large  capital 
by  the  closest  economy.  At  this  time, 
the  war  of  1812  broke  out,  and  cotton 
became  very  low,  in  consequence  of  the 
difficulty  of  shipping  it  to  England. 
Mr.  Whitney  had  at  that  time  a  vast 
amount  of  outstanding  accounts  in  the 
Southern  States,  and  his  debtors  were 
glad  to  pay  him  in  this  depreciated 
article.  We  have  been  informed  that 
Jackson's  cotton  defenses  of  New 
Orleans  were  of  his  property.  As 
neutral  ships  were  permitted  to  sail 
between  the  belligerent  ports,  Mr. 
Whitney  exported  large  quantities  of 
cotton  to  England,  and  held  the  balance 
of  his  stock  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  it  advanced  enormously.  This 
advance,  together  with  the  proceeds  of 
his  exports,  at  once  made  him  a  mil- 
lionnaire,  and  the  capital  thus  acquired 
never  lost  a  chance  of  increase.  Giving 
up  the  details  of  trade,  Mr.  Whitney 
bought  large  quantities  of  real  estate, 
on  which  he  erected  warehouses  and 
obtained  a  princely  rental. 


Francis  Cabot  liowell,  Merchant,  of 
Boston. 

This  distinguished  merchant  was  a 
native  of  Newburyport,  Mass.,  where 
he  was  bom  in  1775,  and  died  in  Bos- 
ton in  1817.  In  1810,  Mr.  Lowell 
visited  England,  on  account  of  the  state 
of  his  health ;  and  on  his  return  home, 
shortly  after  the  commencement  of  the 


EARLY  CAREER  OP  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


15 


war  of  1812,  he  became  so  strongly 
convinced  of  the  practicability  of  intro- 
ducing the  cotton  manufacture  into  the 
United  States,  that  he  proposed  to  his 
kinsman,  Patrick  T.  Jackson,  to  make 
the  experiment  on  an  ample  scale. 

The  result  of  his  project  was  the 
establishment  of  manufactures  at  Wal- 
tham,  and  the  foundation  of  the  city 
of  Lowell,  which  was  named  after 
himself.  He  visited  Washington  in 
1816,  and  his  personal  influence  with 
Mr.  Lowndes,  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  other 
leading  members  of  Congress,  contri- 
buted largely  to  the  introduction  into 
the  tariff  act  of  that  year  of  the  protec- 
tive clause  which  gave  such  an  impetus 
to  the  cotton  manufacture  in  the  United 
States, 


Johannes  Fugrgrer,  and  the  Great  Com- 
mercial Family  of  Fugrgrers. 

The  origin  of  the  proverb  "  as  rich 
as  a  Fugger  "  is  in  the  name  of  a  Ger- 
man family  of  immensely  wealthy  mer- 
chants. Its  founder  was  Johannes 
FuGGEB,  a  weaver  of  Graben,  near 
Augsburg,  who  lived  in  the  first  half 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  and  acquired 
a  large  property  in  lands  by  commerce 
in  cloths.  His  son,  of  the  same  name, 
continued  the  occupation  of  weaver,  to 
which  he  also  added  that  of  cloth  mer- 
chant. Andreas,  eldest  son  of  the  latter, 
lived  about  1400,  and  was  widely  known 
as  "  Fugger  the  Rich.''''  The  nephews  of 
the  last,  Ulrich,  Georg,  and  Jakob,  bom 
about  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
covered  the  Baltic  with  their  commerce, 
which  extended  also  to  Hungary,  Italy, 
and  even  to  India,  and  were  able  to 
influence  the  affairs  of  the  empire  by 
lending  money  to  the  princes,  and  were 
in  course  of  time  created  nobles.  After 
attaining  to  high  political  dignities, 
they  continued  their  commerce,  built  in 
the  Tyrol  the  splendid  castle  of  Fug- 
gerau,  greatly  embellished  the  city  of 
Augsburg,  and  found  a  new  source  of 
wealth  by  working  the  mines  of  laathal, 
Falkenstein,  and  Schwartz,    The  only 


heirs  of  these  three  brothers  were  two 
sons  of  Ulrich,  Raimund  and  Anton. 
The  latter  raised  the  family  to  its  high- 
est degree  of  prosperity  and  power. 
The  emperor  Charles  V.  resorted  to 
them  both  when  pressed  for  money, 
yielded  to  them  the  privilege  of  coining, 
and  made  them  counts  and  princes  of 
the  empire,  and  was  lodged  in  the 
splendid  mansion  of  Anton  when  he 
attended  the  diet  of  Augsburg.  So 
wealthy  were  they,  through  the  success 
attending  their  commercial  enterprise, 
that  "  as  rich  as  a  Fugger  "  became  a 
proverb.  The  most  important  branches 
of  this  family  at  present  are  the  princely 
houses  of  Kirchberg  and  Babenhausen. 


Benjamin  Bussey,  Merchant,  of  Boston. 

Benjamin  Bussey  was  for  a  long 
period  known  as  one  of  the  old  school 
merchants  of  Boston — only  a  few  of 
whom  now  remain  as  representatives 
of  that  highly  honored  and  most 
worthy  class. 

He  was  in  the  early  part  of  his  life 
engaged  in  the  occupation  of  a  silver- 
smith, and  on  going  into  business  on 
his  own  account  he  had  only  a  very 
small  amount  of  paper  money,  which 
his  father  gave  him,  accompanied  with 
the  characteristic  advice  of  that  day,  to 
be  always  diligent, — to  spend  less  than 
he  earned, — and  never  to  deceive  or  dis- 
appoint any  one.  From  his  grandfather 
he  also  obtained  the  additional  sum, 
at  this  time,  of  fifty  dollars  in  silver 
money.  Having  purchased  the  neces- 
sary tools,  he  had  only  ten  dollars  left 
as  his  whole  capital,  and  owed  fifty 
dollars  borrowed  money.  But  he  pos- 
sessed an  iron  constitution,  principles 
of  strict  integrity,  and  a  spirit  of  per- 
severance which  nothing  could  subdue 
or  tire.  In  one  year  he  made  himself 
acquainted  with  all  the  details  of  a 
silversmith's  art ;  he  had  by  his  good 
business  management  acquired  some 
capital,  and  his  success  had  been  equal 
to  his  expectations.    Articles  of  gold 


16 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


and  silver  wrought  by  his  own  hand — 
and  well  wrought,  too, — may  still  be 
met  with  in  and  near  Boston.  In  two 
years  he  purchased  the  real  estate  on 
which  was  his  store.  He  subsequently 
engaged  *in  trade,  in  Dedham,  and 
afterward  in  Boston,  soon  reaching  a 
high  position  as  a  merchant.  His 
business  rapidly  increased,  he  became 
deeply  concerned  in  commerce,  dealt 
largely  with  England,  France,  and 
Holland,  owned  several  large  vessels, 
and  was  engaged  in  heavy  and  distant 
mercantile  adventures — though  aU  of 
them  were  legitimate  business  transac- 
tions, for  he  never  speculated.  He 
seldom  gave  or  took  credit.  The 
immense  fortune  which  he  left  ulti- 
mately goes,  by  his  will,  to  Harvard 
University. 


Peter  Oooper,  Merchant,  of  New  York. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact,  that  the  first 
idea  of  Peter  Coopeb's  great  Univer- 
sity of  Science,  or  "  Institute,"  arose  in 
his  mind  when  he  was  young  and  thirst- 
ing for  knowledge,  which  at  that  time 
he  could  not  buy  in  New  York,  even 
with  the  money  which  he  earned  in  his 
trade.  One  day,  a  friend  told  him  of  a 
visit  he  had  lately  made  to  Paris,  where 
he  had  been  able  to  learn  whatever  he 
wished,  without  money  and  without 
price,  at  the  University  endowed  by 
the  first  Napoleon.  Peter  Cooper,  with 
all  the  ardor  of  his  aspiring  mind, 
wished  that  there  was  such  an  opportu- 
nity in  America,  and  this  idea  he  said 
never  left  him  afterward.  When  he 
began  to  be  very  successful,  this  idea 
began  to  take  shape,  till  at  last  it 
has  built  that  monumental  palace  of 
Science  for  "  whosoever  wiU  " — the  Coo- 
per Institute,  involving  the  munificent 
individual  appropriation  of  six  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  and  which  bids  fair 
to  rival,  at  some  future  day,  the  most 
magnificent  universities  of  Europe. 
The  successful  glue-maker  has  always 
in  a  measure  "  stuck  to  his  glue,"  and 
now  not  merely  sits  in  the  palace  due 


to  his  opulence  and  high  position  as  a 
merchant,  but  is  besides  an  intellectual 
noble  of  the  first  class. 


Georgre  Peabody,  American  Merchant 
and  Banker,  of  Liondon. 

Geokge  Peabody  was  born  in  Dan- 
vers,  Mass.,  Feb.  18,  1795,  of  parents 
in  humble  circumstances,  though  in- 
dustrious and  respectable.  His  father, 
however,  died  when  George  was  in  his 
teens,  and,  from  the  first,  he  was  aware 
that  in  the  battle  of  life  before  him  he 
must  depend  on  himself  alone.  Fortu- 
nately for  himself  and  many  others,  he 
very  early  found  that  he  could  thus 
depend  on  his  unaided  efibrts.  Incidents 
strongly  displaying  ambition,  energy, 
and  perseverance,  marked  the  whole 
course  of  his  youth.  The  hard  earnings 
of  his  boyhood  were  cheerfully  devoted 
to  the  comfort  of  his  mother,  his  broth- 
ers, and  sisters ;  and  he  subsequently 
charged  himself  with  their  entire  sup- 
port, and  cheerfully  practised  every 
self-denial  that  he  might  serve  them. 
It  is  always  safe  to  say,  that  the  son 
and  brother  who  has  shown  himself 
true  to  the  claims  of  kindred,  will  be 
found  wanting  in  none  of  the  relations 
of  life ;  and  George  Peabody  is  an 
eminent  illustration  of  the  truth  of 
this  saying. 

.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  became 
clerk  for  a  grocer,  and  remained  with 
him  about  three  years.  Afterward,  he 
went  with  an  uncle  to  Georgetown,  and 
in  course  of  time  he  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  Mr.  Riggs,  the  capitalist,  with 
whom  he  finally  went  into  business — 
Riggs  furnishing  the  money  and  Pea- 
body the  brains.  The  house  was  re- 
moved to  Baltimore,  and  prospered  so 
well  that  branches  were  established  in 
New  York  and  Philadelphia.  In  1837 
he  went  to  England  to  buy  goods,  and 
formed  many  acquaintances  with  its 
leading  merchants  and  politicians.  He 
now  took  up  his  permanent  residence 
in  England,  and  severed  his  connection 
with  Peabody,  Riggs  &  Co.,  in  1830. 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


n 


He  rendered  important  service  in  pre- 
venting the  complete  prostration  of 
American  securities,  and  particularly 
those  of  Maryland,  iu  London,  in  1837, 
but  refused  all  compensation  for  what 
he  did.  While  he  has  lived  in  Eng- 
land, his  establishment  has  been  a  head- 
quarters for  Americans,  whom  he  has 
always  welcomed  with  a  generous  hos- 
pitality. The  princely  gift  of  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  was 
made  a  short  time  ago  to  the  destitute 
of  London,  but  was  not  the  first  in- 
stance of  his  public  spirited  generosity. 
In  1853,  he  sent  a  toast  to  a  semi-cen- 
tennial festival  at  his  native  town, 
Danvers,  which  was  to  be  opened 
at  the  table.  It  was :  "  Education,  a 
debt  to  future  generations;"  and  to 
pay  his  share  of  that  debt,  he  inclosed 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  to  be  ex- 
pended in  establishing  an  institute, 
library  and  lyceum  for  the  town.  The 
sum  has  since  been  increased  to  sixty 
thousand,  with  ten  thousand  dollars 
additional  for  a  branch  library  at  No. 
Danvers.  Mr.  Peabody  subscribed  ten 
thousand  dollars  toward  the  first  Grin- 
nell  expedition  to  the  Arctic  sent  in 
search  of  Franklin,  In  1856,  he  gave 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  with 
a  pledge  to  make  it  five  hundred 
thousand,  for  the  establishment  of  an 
institute  in  Baltimore,  to  be  devoted 
to  science,  literature  and  art.  A  record 
of  colossal  munificence  is  that  of  George 
Peabody. 


John  ISIoDonoffli,  UiUionnaire,  of  New 
Orleans. 

John  McDonogh  was  bom  in  Balti- 
more, Md.,  in  1779.  The  only  incidents 
of  his  youth  that  are  known  are,  that 
he  was  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  store  in 
an  inland  town  of  Maryland ;  that  he 
was  noted  then  for  eccentricities,  and 
for  an  excess  of  imagination,  which  led 
to  the  apprehension  that  he  was  not 
entirely  of  sound  mind.  Still,  his 
energy  and  intelligence  secured  him 
2 


employment  and  the  confidence  of  his 
employers. 

About  the  year  1800  he  was  sent  out 
to  New  Orleans  by  a  house  in  Balti- 
more, with  a  letter  of  credit  and  con- 
siderable resources.    He  then  engaged 
largely  in  business,  but  soon  renounced 
his  position  as  agent,  and  starting  on 
his  own  account,  became  a  leading  and 
prosperous  merchant.    In  a  few  years 
he  accumulated  a  large  fortune,  say  at 
least  three  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
He  was  one  of  the  nabobs  of  the  city, 
and  his  style  of  living,  and  his  habits, 
conformed  to  his  position  and  resources. 
His  mansion  was  one  of  the  most  showy 
and  luxurious  in  the  city.    He  kept  his 
carriages  and  horses,  his  cellar  of  costly 
wines,  and  entertained  on  a  scale  of 
great  extravagance  and  sumptuousness. 
He  was,  in  fact,  the  centre  of  fashion, 
frivolity,  sociability,  and  even  of  the 
fashionable  dissipations  of  the  day.    His 
person,  which  even  in  extreme  old  age 
was  remarkable  for  dignity,  erectness, 
and  courtliness,  was  at  this  period  con- 
spicuous for  all  the  graces  of  manhood. 
Owing  to  some  peculiar  experiences  of 
a  private  nature — an  account  of  which 
will  be  found  in  our  Anecdotes  of 
Merchants  in  their  Domestic  ReIiA- 
TioNS, — Mr.  McDonogh  eventually  be- 
came   secluded    and    morose,   though 
prosecuting  his  acquisition  of  property 
with   augmented   vigor,  his   peculiar 
passion  being    that  of   accumulating 
countless  acres  of  waste  and  suburban 
land.    AU  his  views  regarded  the  dis- 
tant future.   The  present  value  and  pro- 
ductiveness of  land  were  but  little  re- 
garded by  him.  His  only  recreation  and 
pleasure  were  in  estimating  the  value 
of  his  swamp  and  waste  land  fifty,  a 
hundred,  and  even  a  thousand  years  to 
come.   This  passion  at  last  gained  such 
an  ascendency  over  him,  that  he  seemed 
to  court  and  luxuriate   in  waste   and 
desolation.    He  would  buy  cultivated 
places,  and  let  them  go  to  ruin.     He 
would  build  on  his  lots  in  the   city 
miserable  shanties  and  rookeries,  which 


18 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


would  absolutely  taint  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  thus  enable  him  to  buy  out 
his  neighbors  at  low  rates. 

He  could  not  be  induced,  by  any 
offer  or  consideration,  to  alienate  any 
of  the  property  he  had  once  acquired. 
Abstemious  to  a  fault,  and  withholding 
himself  from  all  the  enjoyments  and 
associations  of  the  world,  he  devoted 
his  time  to  the  care  of  his  large  estate, 
to  the  suits  in  which  such  acquisitions 
constantly  involved  him,  working  for 
seventeen  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four, 
the  greater  part  of  which  labor  con- 
sisted in  writing  the  necessary  docu- 
ments relating  to  his  titles,  and  in 
corresponding  with  his  lawyers  and 
his  overseers.  For  the  fifty  years  of 
his  residence  in  New  Orleans,  he  never 
left  the  State,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  passed 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  corporation. 
He  was  not  a  usurer,  a  money  lender, 
nor  a  speculator.  He  acquired  by 
legitimate  purchase,  by  entries  on  public 
lands.  He  dealt  altogether  in  land. 
Stocks,  merchandise,  and  other  per- 
sonal securities,  were  eschewed  by  him. 
The  wonder  is,  how,  with  a  compara- 
tively small  revenue,  his  property  not 
being  productive,  and  his  favorite 
policy  being  to  render  his  lands  wild 
and  unsuited  for  cultivation,  he  was 
able  to  go  on  every  year  expanding  the 
area  of  his  vast  possessions. 


Sampson  Gideon,  the  Rival  of  Roths- 
child. 

Sampson  Gideon,  the  great  Jew 
banker,  as  he  was  commonly  called — 
and  the  rival  and  enemy  of  Rothschild 
— was  the  financial  support  of  the  illus- 
trious Sir  Robert  Walpole,  the  oracle 
and  leader  in  all  monetary  matters,  and 
his  name  was  as  familiar  in  the  last 
century  as  those  of  Qoldschmid  and 
Rothschild.  A  shrewd,  sarcastic  man, 
possessing  a  rich  vein  of  humor,  the 
anecdotes  and  reminiscences  preserved 
of  him  are,  unhappily,  few  and  far  be- 
tween. "  Never  grant  a  life  annuity  to 
an  old  woman,"  he  would  say ;  "  they 


wither,  but  they  never  die."  And  if 
the  proposed  annuitant  coughed  with 
a  violent  asthmatic  cough  on  approach- 
ing the  room  door,  Gideon  would  call 
out,  "  Aye,  aye,  you  may  cough,  but  it 
shan't  save  you  six  months'  purchase  ! " 

In  one  of  his  dealings  with  Mr.  Snow, 
the  banker — immortalized  by  Dean 
Swift— the  latter  lent  Gideon  £20,000. 
Shortly  afterward,  the  "  forty-five " 
broke  out ;  the  success  of  the  Pretender 
seemed  certain ;  and  Mr.  Snow,  alarmed 
for  his  cherished  property,  addressed  a 
piteous  epistle  to  the  Jew.  A  run  upon 
his  office,  a  stoppage,  and  a  bankrupt- 
cy, were  the  least  phenomena  the  bank- 
er's imagination  pictured;  and  the 
whole  concluded  with  an  earnest  re- 
quest for  his  money.  Gideon  went  to 
the  bank,  procured  twenty  notes,  sent 
for  a  vial  of  hartshorn,  rolled  the  vial 
in  the  notes,  and  thus  grotesquely 
Mr,  Snow  received  the  money  he  had 
lent. 

The  greatest  hit  Gideon  ever  made 
was  when  the  rebel  army  approached 
London ;  when .  the  king  was  trem- 
bling; when  the  prime  minister  was 
undetermined,  and  stocks  were  sold  at 
any  price.  Unhesitatingly  he  went  to 
Jonathan's,  bought  all  in  the  market, 
advanced  every  guinea  he  possessed, 
pledged  his  name  and  reputation  for 
more,  and  held  as  much  as  the  remainder 
of  the  members  held  together.  Wheji 
the  Pretender  retreated  and  stocks  rose, 
the  Jew  experienced  the  advantage  of 
his  foresight,  in  immense  gains. 


Ehan,  the  Great  Persian  Merchant. 

When  Georgia  was  invaded  by  Mo- 
hammed, the  founder  of  the  present  Per- 
sian dynasty,  the  only  one  of  the  Khoras- 
sanian  chiefs  who  was  not  obliged  to 
give  hostages  of  fidelity  was  Isaac 
Khan,  chief  of  Turbet-e-Hyderee,  a 
man  of  low  birth,  who,  by  the  pursuits 
of  commerce,  had  been  able,  like  the 
Medici  family  in  Italy,  to  obtain  a 
territory   of  two    hundred    miles    in 


EARLY   CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


19 


length,  and  to  raise  himself  from  being 
overseer  of  a  caravansary,  to  the  rank 
of  an  independent  sovereign  and  the 
most  eminent  merchant  and  trader  in 
the  -whole  realm.  His  revenue  was 
reckoned  at  one  million  dollars,  two 
hmidred  thousand  of  which  was  realized 
from  the  merchandise  in  which  he 
traded,  and  the  rest  from  his  land 
property,  etc.,  which  he  had  come  in 
possession  of  by  means  of  his  vast  and 
successful  mercantile  transactions.  He 
had  six  thousand  troops  in  his  pay,  but 
chiefly  trusted  to  his  policy  for  the 
maintenance  of  his  power;  nor  did 
ever  prince  more  securely  reign  in  the 
hearts  of  his  subjects,  and  of  the  mer- 
chants whom  he  had  attracted  to  his 
new  emporium.  To  these,  as  well  as  to 
pilgrims  and  beggars  of  every  country 
and  religion,  his  hall  was  always  open ; 
and  it  was  'his  principal  relaxation 
from  the  fatigues  of  public  a£fairs  and 
commercial  traffic,  to  dine  in  company 
with  the  motley  multitude, — conversing 
on  equal  terms  with  all,  acquiring  an 
accurate  knowledge  of  everything 
which  concerned  the  welfare  of  the 
people,  and  admired  by  his  guests  for 
his  affability. 


Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy,  the  Great  Parsee 
Merchant. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  East 
India  merchants,  a  native  of  the  Par- 
see  race  and  faith,  and  ranking  with 
the  highest  and  the  most  enlightened 
among  Europeans  of  the  same  business 
calling,  was  Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy. 
He  was  bom  at  Bombay  in  1783,  and 
his  father  was  so  poor  that  he  followed 
the  profession  of  a  "  bottly- wallah,"  that 
is,  a  bottle-fellow,  buying  and  selling 
old  bottles.  At  the  age  of  nineteen, 
Jamsetjee  entered  into  partnership  with 
his  father-in-law,  Framjee  Nusserwan- 
jee,  and  in  the  following  years  made 
several  successftil  voyages  to  China. 

Possessing  those  qualities  most  desir- 
able in  a  merchant,  integrity,  judg- 
ment,   and    enterprise,   he    gradually 


extended  his  dealings  to  other  coun- 
tries, and  drew  in  a  rich  harvest  of 
gains.  His  ships,  built  by  the  excellent 
Parsee  shipwrights  of  Bombay,  traded 
with  all  parts  of  the  East,  and  now  and 
then  sailed  even  round  the  Cape.  Year 
after  year  he  prospered,  and  when  he 
had  been  twenty  years  in  business,  he 
had  acquired  a  large  and  still  increas- 
ing fortune.  He  did  not,  however,  in 
winning  his  fortime,  forget  or  mistake 
how  to  spend  it. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  years,  Jeejeeb- 
hoy's  benefactions  amoimted  to  some 
1300,000.  The  East  India  Government 
made  a  report  of  his  enlightened  mimifi- 
cence  to  the  Home  Government,  and  the 
latter  conferred  upon  him  the  rare  and 
distinguished  honor  of  knighthood. 
It  was  the  first  instance,  indeed,  of  any 
royal  title  being  bestowed  by  the  Eng- 
lish government  upon  a  native  of  India. 
The  ceremony  of  presentation  took 
place  at  the  Governor's  House.  The 
circumstance  was  one  not  only  highly 
gratifying  to  Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy 
himself,  but  to  the  native  community 
in  general,  who  are  accustomed  to 
attach  an  extravagant  value  to  any 
such  marks  of  honor.  It  was  conse- 
quently determined  by  some  of  the 
most  influential  natives  to  offer  him  a 
testimonial  at  once  of  their  respect  for 
his  character,  and  their  gratification  at 
the  distinction  he  had  obtained.  A 
sum  of  fifteen  thousand  rupees  was 
consequently  raised,  and  invested — 
not  in  a  silver  service,  a  bust,  or  a 
statue,  but — in  a  fund,  the  interest  of 
which  should  be  devoted  to  procuring 
translations  of  popular  and  important 
works  from  other  languages  into  Guze- 
ratte,  the  language  chiefly  in  use  among 
the  Parsees. 


Vincent  Nolte,   the  "Wandering:  Mer- 
chant. 

Vincent  Nolte  has  been  termed 
"the  wandering  merchant."  He  was 
bom  at  Leghom,  in  Italy,  and  lived, 
successively,    in   Leghom,    Hamburg, 


20 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Trieste,  Venice,  Nantes,  Paris,  Amster- 
dam, London,  Philadelphia,  and  New 
Orleans.  He  began  his  life  as  a  clerk 
in  the  house  of  Otto  Prank  &  Co.,  at 
Leghorn,  in  1795  ;  while  drawing  cari- 
catures, the  theatres,  dress,  and  flirta- 
tion, formed  his  real  occupation.  His 
tailor's  bill,  at  the  end  of  a  year,  pre- 
sented the  not  inconsiderable  sum  total 
of  twelve  coats  of  all  colors,  and  twenty- 
two  pairs  of  hose  and  pantaloons,  which 
were  just  then  coming  into  fashion, — 
rather  fast  life  for  a  youth  of  sixteen. 
He  saw  Bonaparte  at  Leghorn,  in  1796  ; 
saw  Wellington  and  the  allies  at  Paris, 
in  1815  ;  fought  under  Jackson,  at  New 
Orleans,  in  1814,  and  was  with  Lafay- 
ette, in  Paris,  during  the  revolution 
of  1830.  How  many  times  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic  it  would  be  difficult  to 
say. 

Mr.  Nolte  was  termed  "  the  giant  of 
cotton  speculation  "  at  New  Orleans ; 
he  was  also  a  contractor  for  supplying 
the  French  army  with  muskets;  the 
mercantile  agent  in  Cuba  and  the 
United  States  of  the  house  of  Hope  & 
Co,,  of  Amsterdam ;  and  agent  of  the 
Barings  ;  an  operator  in  stocks ;  a  trans- 
lator of  manuscripts  at  Venice ;  a  Tresor 
de  Numismatique  et  de  Olyptiqv^;  a 
writer  on  finance ;  and  an  editor.  He 
stood  in  business  and  social  relations 
with  most  of  the  great  men  of  "  high 
finance  "  of  the  last  century — with  the 
Barings,  Labouchfere,  Hottinguer,  La- 
fitte,  Ouvrard,  etc. 


"  *'  Iiord  Timothy  Dexter,"  the  Eccentric 
Merchant,  of  Newburyport,  Mass. 

According  to  his  own  account,  Tim- 
othy Dextek  was  bom  in  Maiden, 
Mass.,  Jan.  23,  1747.  After  having 
served  as  an  apprentice  to  a  leather 
dresser,  he  commenced  business  in 
Newburyport,  where  he  also  married  a 
widow,  who  owned  a  house  and  a  small 
piece  of  land,  part  of  which,  soon  after 
the  nuptials,  was  converted  by  him  into 
a  shop  and  tanyard  for  his  own  use. 

By  application  to  his  business,  his 


property  increased,  and  the  purchase 
of  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Penobscot, 
together  with  an  interest  which  he 
bought  in  the  Ohio  Company's  pur- 
chase, eventually  afforded  him  so  much 
profit  as  to  induce  him  to  buy  up  pub- 
lic securities  at  forty  cents  for  the  pound, 
which  securities  soon  after  became  worth 
twenty  shillings  on  the  pound.  By 
these  and  other  fortunate  business  trans- 
actions, he  prospered  so  greatly,  that 
property  now  was  no  longer  the  sole 
object  of  his  pursuit ;  he  exchanged 
this  god  of  idolatry  for  that  oi popular- 
ity. He  was  charitable  to  the  poor, 
gave  liberal  donations  to  religious  so- 
cieties, and  handsomely  rewarded  those 
who  wrote  in  his  praise.  His  lordship 
— a  selficonferred  title — about  this  time 
acquired  his  peculiar  taste  for  style  and 
splendor,  set  up  an  elegant  equipage, 
and,  at  great  cost,  adorned  the  front  of 
his  mansion  with  numerous  figures  of  il- 
lustrious personages. 

Some  of  his  lordship's  speculations 
in  trade  have  become  quite  as  celebrat- 
ed for  their  oddity. as  those  of  Koths- 
child  for  their  unscrupulous  cunning. 
He  once  anxiously  inquired  of  some 
merchants,  whom  he  knew,  how  he 
should  dispose  of  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars. Wishing  to  hoax  him,  they  an- 
swered, "  Why,  buy  a  cargo  of  warm- 
ing pans,  and  send  them  to  the  West 
Indies,  to  be  sure."  Not  suspecting 
the  trick,  he  at  once  bought  all  the 
warming  pans  he  could  find,  and  sent 
them  to  a  climate  where — ^there  was 
every  reason  to  suppose — ice  would  be 
far  more  acceptable.  But  "  Providence 
sometimes  shows  his  contempt  of 
wealth,  by  giving  it  to  fools."  The 
warming  pans  met  with  a  ready  sale — 
the  tops  being  used  for  strainers,  and 
the  lower  parts  for  dippers,  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  molasses. 

With  ^the  proceeds  of  his  cargo  of 
warming  pans.  Dexter  built  a  fine  ves- 
sel ;  and  being  informed  by  the  carpen- 
ter that  wales  were  wanting,  he  called 
on  an  acquaintance,  and   said,  "My 


LARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


21 


head  workman  sends  me  word  that  he 
wants  '  wales '  for  the  vessel.  What 
does  he  mean  ? "  "  Why,  whalebones, 
to  be  sure,"  answered  the  man,  who,  like 
everybody  else,  was  tempted  to  im- 
prove the  opportunity  of  imposing 
upon  Dexter's  stupidity.  Whalebones 
were  accordingly  bought ;  but,  finding 
that  Boston  could  not  furnish  enough, 
he  emptied  New  York  and  Philadel- 
phia. The  ship-carpenters,  of  course, 
had  a  hearty  laugh  at  his  expense  ;  but, 
by  a  singular  turn  of  fortune,  this  blun- 
der was  also  the  means  of  increasing 
his  wealth.  It  soon  after  became  fash- 
ionable for  ladies  to  wear  stays  com- 
pletely lined  with  whalebone ;  and  as 
none  was  to  be  found  in  the  country,  on 
account  of  his  having  thus  so  complete- 
ly swept  the  market,  it  brought  a  gold- 
en price.  Thus  his  coffers  were  a  sec- 
ond time  filled  by  his  odd  transactions. 


Josbua  Bates,  of  the  House  of  Baringr 
&  Co. 

An  honored  member  of  the  great  firm 
of  Baring  Brothers  &  Co.,  London,  is 
Joshua  Bates.  Mr.  Bates  is  a  native 
of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
bom  in  1788,  being  the  only  son  of 
Col.  Joshua  Bates,  of  that  place.  He 
received  his  early  education  under 
Rev.  Jacob  Norton,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  entered  the  counting-room  of 
William  R.  Gray,  of  Boston,  an  accom- 
plished man  of  business. 

Young  Bates  showed  a  remarkable 
aptitude  for  commercial  knowledge  and 
a  commercial  career,  on  which  account 
he  was  intrusted  with  the  extensive 
business  concerns  not  only  of  his  first 
employer,  but  of  the  latter's  father  also, 
the  elder  Mr.  Gray,  for  a  long  time  the 
leading  merchant  in  New  England  and 
exceeded  by  but  a  few  in  the  world,  in 
respect  to  extent  of  shipping. 

The  war  with  England  proving  disas- 
trous to  mercantile  pursuits,  Mr,  Bates 
was  despatched  to  Europe,  to  look  after 
Mr.  Gray's  extensive  maritime  interests 
in  that  quarter.  This,  of  course,  brought 


him  into  relations  with  some  of  the 
leading  commercial  and  banking  houses 
of  Europe,  especially  of  the  Hopes  and 
the  Barings,  who  were  greatly  im- 
pressed with  his  remarkable  talent  and 
judgment  in  respect  to  whatever  con- 
cerned the  commerce  of  the  world.  In 
the  year  1826,  through  the  influence  of 
Messrs.  Baring  Brothers  &  Co.,  he 
formed  a  house  in  London,  in  connec- 
tion with  Mr.  John  Baring,  son  of  Sir 
Francis  Baring,  under  the  firm  of  Bates 
&  Baring.  On  the  death  of  the  late 
Mr.  Holland,  these  gentlemen  were 
both  made  partners  in  the  house  of 
Baring  Brothers  &  Co.,  and  of  which 
Mr.  Bates  has  ever  since  been  an  active 
and  efficient  member,  giving  to  it  much 
of  that  commanding  influence  which  it 
enjoys  both  in  Europe  and  America. 
Mr.  Bates  has  long  been  noted  for  his 
large-hearted  charities  on  both  sides 
of  the  Atlantic.  His  most  munificent 
donations  to  the  Boston  Public  Library 
are  well  known ;  but  his  benevolence 
has  by  no  means  been  confined  to  that 
object  alone. 

Mr.  Bates  was  married,  in  1813,  to 
Lucretia  Augusta,  of  the  Boston  branch 
of  the  Sturgis  family,  by  whom  he  has 
only  one  surviving  child,  Madame  Van 
de  Wyer,  wife  of  the  eminent  states- 
man who  has  more  than  once  been 
called  to  administer  the  government 
of  Belgium,  and  more  recently  officia- 
ting as  its  diplomatic  representative 
at  the  court  of  St.  James. 


James  Morrison,  "  of  twenty  millions." 

James  Morkison,  who  well  deserved 
the  title  given  him  of  a  "  modem  Croe- 
sus," was  until  his  death  one  of  the 
extremely  rich  men  of  London.  In 
mental  character,  and  with  boundless 
wealth  entirely  self-acquired,  this  great 
millionnaire  was  certainly  remarkable 
as  a  man  and  a  merchant.  He  was  of 
common  parents,  originally  of  Scotch 
descent.  Early  transplanted  to  the 
English  metropolis,  at  the  end  of  the 


22 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


last  century,  the  country  boy  first  set 
foot  in  London  unaided,  in  search  of 
his  fortunes.  After  the  close  of  the 
great  Continental  wars,  and  the  conse- 
quent rapid  extension  of  population  and 
wealth,  Mr.  Morrison  was  one  of  the 
first  English  traders  who  reversed  his 
system  of  management,  by  an  entire 
departure  from  the  old  plan  of  exact- 
ing the  highest  prices.  His  new  prin- 
ciple was  the  substitution  of  the 
lowest  remunerative  scale  of  profit  and 
a  more  rapid  circulation  of  capital ;  the 
success  of  this  experiment  was  soon 
seen  in  his  enormously  augmented 
trade.  "  Small  profits  and  quick  re- 
turns "  was  his  motto,  and  he  therefore 
became  widely  known  as  the  "  Cheap 
Merchant."  From  his  earliest  settle- 
ment in  London,  he  was  associated 
with  the  liberal  party  in  politics, — 
even  in  the  worst  of  times, — nor  did 
his  later  gains  of  immense  wealth  ever 
vary  his  political  principles.  As  a 
member  of  Parliament,  he  devoted 
himself  to  questions  and  measures  re- 
lating to  trade,  foreign  commerce,  the 
currency,  and  railways.  His  accumula- 
tions amounted  to  the  prodigious  sum 
of  twenty  millions  of  dollars. 

Mr.  Morrison  retired  from  active 
business  several  years  since,  but  with- 
out withdrawing  his  capital  from  the 
mercantile  house ;  and  though  man- 
aging his  vast  funds  himself  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  (which  recently  oc- 
curred) with  all  the  sagacity  of  earlier 
days,  he  became  haunted  with  the  idea 
that  he  should  come  to  want.  He 
finally  commenced  doing  day  labor  on 
a  farm  held  by  one  of  his  tenants,  for 
which  labor  he  was  regularly  paid 
twelve  shillings  a  week,  and  this  he 
continued  up  to  the  time  of  his  last  ill- 
ness. For  eighteen  months  before  his 
death  he  was  an  habitual  applicant  for 
relief  to  the  parish,  assembling  twice 
a  week  with  the  town  paupers,  and 
receiving  with  each  one  of  them  his 
two  shillings  and  a  quartern  loaf  His 
Mends  indulged  him  in  these  fancies, 


on  the  ground  that  it  was  the  best 
choice  of  two  evils.  And  yet  he  made 
a  most  judicious  will,  and  his  invest- 
ments up  to  the  last  were  characterized 
by  great  good  sense. 

The  probate  duty  on  Mr.  Morrison's 
will  exceeded  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  Among  his  possessions  was 
his  seat  at  Basildon  Park,  which  cost 
ov^  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and 
the  furniture  four  hunded  and  fifty 
thousand.  The  mansion  on  this  estate 
was  left  to  his  widow,  with  an  annuity 
of  fifty  thousand  dollars  yearly.  The 
estate  itself  was  left  to  his  son  Charles, 
as  well  as  the  Islay  estate  in  Scotland, 
which  latter  cost  about  two  and  a-half 
millions  of  dollars.  This  is  let  to 
numerous  tenants,  and  from  its  extent 
and  vastness  may  be  termed  a  princi- 
pality. His  son  Charles  was  likewise 
bequeathed  the  round  sum  of  $5,000,000 
under  the  will.  Besides  being  possessed 
of  Fonthill  Abbey,  Hone  Park,  Sussex, 
and  his  town  palace  in  Harley  street, 
Mr.  Morrison  had  shares  amounting  to 
four  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  the 
Victoria  Docks,  and  large  acquisitions 
in  the  United  States. 


Jacob  Little,  "  of  WaU  Street." 

The  name  of  Jacob  Littlk  has  long 
been  so  largely  and  universally  asso- 
ciated with  the  financial  operations  of 
which  Wall  street,  New  York,  is  the 
especial  theatre,  that  that  locale  may 
with  more  appropriateness  perhaps  than 
any  other  be  connected  with  his  name 
and  reminiscences. 

Mr.  Little  was  bom  in  Newburyport, 
Mass.,  and,  when  twenty  years  of  age,  he 
went  to  New  York  to  seek  his  fortune 
and  give  play  to  the  business  faculties 
and  aptitude  with  which  nature  had 
endowed  him.  His  means  were  small, 
but  his  intelligence  was  quick  and 
made  readily  available  to  his  circum- 
stances and  purposes.  He  became,  in 
a  short  time,  a  clerk  in  the  employment 
of  Jacob  Barker,  and,  under  such  tui- 


EARLY   CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


23 


tion  and  example,  it  must  indeed  have 
been  his  own  fault,  if  he  did  not  find 
himself,  at  the  close  of  his  five  years' 
service,  prepared  to  follow  some  calling 
with  shrewdness  and  success.  His  ca- 
reer shows  that  the  opportunities  thus 
enjoyed  were  not  lost  upon  him.  On 
leaving  Mr.  Barker,  Mr.  Little  com- 
menced the  business  of  exchange  and 
specie  broker,  on  his  own  account,  and 
in  this  sphere  left  nothing  undone  that 
could  contribute  to  an  energetic  and 
successful  pursuit  of  his  business,  and 
to  securing  the  confidence  of  those  who 
intrusted  to  him  their  orders  and  funds. 
His  activity,  decision,  and  good  judg- 
ment, gave  him  a  high  place  in  mone- 
tary circles,  wealth  and  favor  roUed  in 
upon  him,  and  though  he  has  more 
than  once  had  to  yield  to  the  revulsions 
in  the  stock  and  money  market,  he  has 
shown  the  rare  quality  of  being  as 
faithful  to  his  creditors  as  to  himself. 

Mr.  Little  has  been  humorously 
written  of  as  equally  the  hero  and  the 
dupe  of  the  American  stock  exchange 
— the  heir  of  Ouvrard — the  confidant 
of  bank  presidents — the  untiring  pro- 
jector of  time  bargains — and  every  now 
and  then  he  becomes  so  jaded  and  out 
of  breath,  that  he  himself  cannot  be 
"  called  to  time."  He  has  for  some 
forty  years  thrown  an  air  of  enchant- 
ment about  speculation;  has  devised 
more  pitfalls  for  the  credulous,  as  well 
as  for  the  cautious,  than  any  man  of 
his  time — repeatedly  losing  or  impair- 
ing his  financial  power,  and  as  often 
regaining  it.  He  was  made  to  wrestle 
with  fortune,  and  to  fall  with  a  laugh- 
ing face.  Hundreds  of  satellites  revolve 
about  him,  set  when  he  sets,  and  rise 
when  he  rises.  If  fate  should  compel 
him  to  a  period  of  inaction,  his  condi- 
tion would  be  most  miserable. 


The  Eotliscliilds,  "Wealthiest  Bankers 
in  the  World. 
The  house  of  Rothschild  is  the  im- 
personation of  that  money  power  which 
governs  the  world.    For  nearly  half  a 


century  their  influence  has  been  con- 
tinually on  the  increase  ;  and  to  them, 
more  than  to  any  monarch  or  minister 
of  state,  however  potential,  Europe  is 
indebted  for  the  preservation  of  peace 
between  the  great  powers.  To  give 
even  an  outline  of  the  immense  and 
successful  operations  which  have  placed 
a  German  Jew,  his  sons,  and  grandsons, 
at  the  head  of  the  moneyed  interests 
of  the  world,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
embrace  the  history  of  European  finance 
since  the  year  1812. 

Meyer  Anselm  Rothschild  was  the 
founder  of  this  house,  about  the  year 
1740 ;  he  was  a  money-changer  and 
exchange  broker,  a  man  of  fair  char- 
acter, and  in  easy  circumstances.  After 
the  battle  of  Jena,  October,  1806,  Napo- 
leon decreed  the  forfeiture  of  their 
states  by  the  sovereigns  of  Brunswick 
and  of  Hesse-Cassel,  and  a  French  army 
was  put  in  march  to  enforce  the  decree. 
Too  feeble  to  resist,  the  landgrave 
prepared  for  flight.  But  in  the  vaults 
of  his  palace  he  had  twelve  million  flo- 
rins—about $5,000,000— in  silver.  To 
save  this  great  and  bulky  amount  of 
money  from  the  hands  of  the  French 
was  a  matter  of  extreme  difficulty,  as 
it  could  not  be  carried  away,  and  the 
landgrave  had  so  little  confidence  in 
his  subjects  that  he,  could  not  bring 
himself  to  confide  his  case  to  their 
keeping,  especially  as  the  French  would 
inflict  severe  punishment  on  him  or 
them  who  might  undertake  the  trust. 
In  his  utmost  need,  the  landgrave  be- 
thought himself  of  Meyer  Anselm 
Rothschild,  sent  for  him  to  Cassel, 
and  entreated  him  to  take  charge  of 
the  money ;  and  by  way  of  compensa- 
tion for  the  dangers  to  which  Mr. 
Rothschild  exposed  himself,  the  land- 
grave offered  him  the  free  use  of  the 
entire  sum,  without  interest.  On  these 
terms,  Mr.  Rothschild  undertook  the 
trust,  and  by  the  assistance  of  some 
friends,  Jewish  bankers  at  Cassel,  the 
money  was  so  carefully  stowed  away, 
that  when  the  French,  after  a  hurried 


24 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


march,  arrived  in  the  city,  they  found 
the  old  landgrave  gone,  and  his  treasure 
vanished. 

At  the  time  this  large  sum  of  money 
was  placed  in  M.  A.  Rothschild's  hands, 
he  had  five  sons,  of  whom  three,  An- 
selm,  Nathan,  and  Solomon,  had  arrived 
at  man's  estate.  These  he  associated 
with  himself.  By  their  skilful  manage- 
ment, the  large  sum  of  ready  money  at 
their  disposal  increased  and  multiplied 
with  astonishing  rapidity.  The  fall  of 
Napoleon  enabled  the  old  landgrave  to 
return  to  Cassel,  and  he  gave  the  Roths- 
childs notice  that  he  should  withdraw 
the  money  he  had  confided  to  them ; 
but  before  the  notice  expired,  Napo- 
leon's return  from  the  isle  of  Elba  so 
greatly  alarmed  the  landgrave  that  he 
urged  the  Rothschilds  to  keep  the 
money  at  the  low  rate  of  two  per  cent. 
per  annum,  which  they  did  imtil  his 
death,  in  1823,  when  the  Rothschilds 
refused  to  keep  it  any  longer. 

At  the  period  of  Meyer  Anselm  Roths- 
child's death,  which  occurred  so  unex- 
pectedly, he  saw  his  five  sons  placed 
respectively  at  the  head  of  five  immense 
establishments — at  Frankfort,  London, 
Paris,  Vienna,  and  Naples,  all  united  in 
a  copartnership  which  is  universally 
allowed  to  be  the  most  wealthy  and 
extensive  the  world  has  ever  seen. 
And,  whatever  exceptions  may  be  made 
to  the  manner  in  which  the  business  of 
these  houses  has  been  conducted,  in 
some  operations  which  have  marked 
their  career,  it  must  be  admitted  that 
rarely  does  a  family  furnish  so  many 
members  who  are  competent,  individu- 
ally, to  be  intrusted  with  such  vast 
financial  concerns. 

Although  Mr.  Rothschild  was  com- 
monly termed  a  merchant,  his  most  im- 
portant transactions  were  in  connection 
with  stocks,  loans,  etc.  It  was  here  that 
his  great  decision,  his  skilful  combina- 
tions, and  his  unequalled  energy,  made 
him  remarkable.  At  a  time  when  the 
funds  were  constantly  varying,  the  temp- 
tation was  too  great  for  a  capitalist  like 


Mr.  Rothschild  to  withstand.  His  ope- 
rations were  soon  noticed ;  and  when 
the  money  market  was  left  without  an 
acknowledged  head,  by  the  deaths  of 
Sir  Francis  Baring  and  Abraham  Gold- 
schmid — for  the  affairs  of  the  latter 
were  wound  up,  and  the  successors  of 
the  former  did  not  then  aim  at  the 
autocracy  of  the  money  market, — the 
name  of  Nathan  Meyer  Rothschild  was 
in  the  mouths  of  all  financial  dealers 
as  a  prodigy  of  success.  Cautiously, 
however,  did  the  great  banker  proceed, 
until  he  had  made  a  fortune  as  great  as 
his  future  reputation.  He  revived  aU 
the  arts  of  an  older  period.  He  em- 
ployed bankers  to  depress  or  raise  the 
market  for  his  benefit,  and  is  said  to 
have  purchased  in  one  day  to  the  ex- 
tent of  four  million  poimds.  His  trans- 
actions soon  pervaded  the  entire  globe. 
The  old  and  the  new  world  alike  bore 
witness  to  his  skill ;  and  with  the  prof- 
its on  a  single  loan  he  purchased  an 
estate  which  cost  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  Minor  capital- 
ists, like  parasitical  plants,  clung  to 
him,  and  were  always  ready  to  advance 
their  money  in  speculations  at  his  bid- 
ding. Nothing  seemed  too  gigantic  for 
his  grasp — nothing  too  minute  for  his 
notice.  His  mind  was  as  capable  of 
contracting  a  loan  for  tens  of  millions, 
as  of  calculating  the  lowest  possible 
amount  on  which  a  clerk  could  exist. 
Like  too  many  great  merchants  and 
bankers,  whose  profits  are  counted  by 
thousands  and  millions,  he  paid  his 
assistants  the  smallest  amount  for 
which  he  could  procure  them. 

Rothschild  in  London  knew  the 
result  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo  eight 
hours  before  the  British  Government, 
and  the  value  of  this  knowledge  was 
no  less  than  one  miUion  dollars,  gained 
in  one  forenoon.  No  bad  loan  was  ever 
taken  in  hand  by  the  Rothschilds ;  no 
good  loan  ever  fell  into  other  hands. 
Any  financial  operation  on  which  they 
frowned,  was  sure  to  fail.  And  so 
conscious  were  they  of  their  influence, 


EARLY   CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


25 


that  after  the  July  revolution  in  1830, 
Anselm  Rothschild,  of  Frankfort,  de- 
clared,— and  the  declaration  was  made 
to  sound  in  imperial  ears, — "  The  house 
of  Austria  desires  war,  but  the  house 
of  Rothschild  requires  peace." 

In  addition  to  their  five  principal 
establishments,  they  have  agencies  of 
their  own  in  several  of  the  large  cities, 
both  of  the  old  and  the  new  world. 
As  dealers  in  money  and  biUs,  they 
may  be  said  to  have  no  rivals,  and 
as  the  magnitude  of  their  opera- 
tions enables  them  to  regulate  the 
course  of  exchange  throughout  the 
world,  their  profits  are  great,  while 
their  risks  are  comparatively  small  by 
the  perfect  manner  in  which  their  busi- 
ness is  managed.  Indeed,  the  only 
heavy  loss  they  may  be  said  to  have 
experienced  as  yet — that  is,  heavy  for 
them, — was  through  the  February  revo- 
lution of  1848,  when  it  is  said  that, 
owing  to  the  sudden  depreciation  of 
all  funded  and  railroad  property 
throughout  Europe,  their  losses  from 
March  till  December  of  that  year 
reached  the  enormous  figure  of  $40,- 
000,000.  But  great  as  their  losses  were, 
they  did  not  affect  the  credit  of  the 
Rothschilds,  and  do  not  appear  in  any 
degree  to  have  impaired  their  means. 
The  members  of  the  firm  are  numerous, 
as  the  third  generation  has  been  re- 
ceived into  the  copartnership,  and,  as 
the  cousins  mostly  intermarry,  their 
immense  wealth  will,  for  a  length  of 
time,  remain  in  comparatively  few 
hands.  The  affairs  of  this  firm  in  the 
United  States  have  for  a  long  time 
been  under  the  direction  of  August 
Belmont,  of  New  York,  by  whom  they 
have  been  managed  with  distinguished 
success. 


O.  J.  Ouvrard,  the  "  Napoleon  of  Pi- 
nance." 
M.  Gabrxel  Julien  Ouvrabd's 
name  has  been  associated  with  the 
most  gigantic  financial  operations,  in 
Europe,  during  the  last  half  century. 


and  numberless  interesting  incidents 
have  marked  the  chequered  career  of 
him  who  has  been  most  appropriately 
designated  the  "  Napoleon  of  Finance ; " 
and  when  the  vastness  and  novelty  of 
his  plans,  the  extraordinary  quickness 
of  his  perception,  the  fertility  of  his 
resources,  his  masterly  combinations, 
and  the  vigor  and  perseverance  with 
which  he  wove  out  the  brilliant  but 
eminently  practical  conceptions  of  his 
genius,  are  considered,  the  epithet  thus 
given  him  seems  most  happy. 

That  he  has  claims  to  universal 
celebrity  as  a  financier,  it  is  sufficient 
to  say  that  he  figured  prominently  in 
the  great  events  of  the  French  Repub- 
lic— ^the  Consulate — the  Empire — the 
Restoration — and  the  Revolution  of 
1830;  that,  after  having  witnessed 
the  horrors  of  the  Reign  of  Terror,  and 
aided  in  the  downfall  of  Robespierre, 
he  became  the  Banker  of  the  BepvMie^ 
with  power  to  issue  a  paper  currency 
of  his  own,  admissible  as  a  legal  tender 
in  payment  of  the  taxes  of  the  state — 
the  associate  of  Barras,  Cambac^rfes,  and 
Talleyrand — a  worshipper  at  the  feet 
of  "  Notre  Dame  de  Bon  S^cours  " — ^the 
votary  of  "  Notre  Dame  des  Victoires  " 
— the  creditor  of  Bemadotte — the  con- 
fidential agent  of  Charles  IV.  of  Spain 
— the  honored  guest  of  Pozzo  di  Borgo, 
Mettemich,  and  Louis  XVni. — the  inti- 
mate friend  of  Chateaubriand — the 
Commissary-General  of  Napoleon  at 
the  Passage  of  the  St,  Bernard,  the 
Camp  of  Boulogne,  and  on  the  decisive 
field  of  Waterloo — and  the  host  of 
Wellington  at  Paris ! 

By  a  special  contract  with  Charles 
IV.  of  Spain,  M.  Ouvrard  became  the 
business  partner  of  his  Majesty  in  the 
exclusive  commerce  of  the  Spanish  pos- 
sessions in  the  new  world  during  the 
war  with  Great  Britain.  It  was  in 
reference  to  this  contract,  and  while 
crumpling  the  document  in  his  hand, 
that  Napoleon  observed  to  M.  Ouvrard, 
in  presence  of  the  council  of  ministers, 
"  You  have  lowered  royalty  to  the  level 


26 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


of  commerce."  Whereupon  M.  Ouv- 
rard,  to  the  surprise  of  all  present, 
replied,  in  a  firm  but  respectful  tone, 
"  Sire,  commerce  is  the  life-blood  of 
states;  sovereigns  cannot  do  without 
commerce,  but  it  can  very  well  do 
without  sovereigns." 

M.  Ouvrard  lived  to  a  very  advanced 
age,  using  moderately  the  bounties  and 
luxuries  of  affluence  with  which  he  was 
surrounded.  The  philosophical  equani- 
mity of  his  mind,  and  the  iron  frame 
in  which  it  was  cast,  served  him  in  all 
his  varied  experiences.  His  elegance 
of  manner,  dignified  serenity  of  coun- 
tenance, and  the  graceful  charm  of  his 
advanced  years,  rendered  his  presence 
both  illustrious  and  attractive.  He 
was  naturally  indulgent,  kind-hearted, 
condescending,  and,  like  aU  thorough 
men  of  the  world,  inclined  to  treat  with 
lenity  the  inexperience  and  errors  of 
his  fellows,  and  especially  of  his  juniors. 
His  memory  was  wonderfully  retentive ; 
and  his  conversation,  founded  on  a 
vast  experience  of  men  and  things, 
was  rich  in  information  and  sparkling 
with  wit,  and  without  any  affectation. 
Some  of  his  transactions,  however,  cast 
a  cloud  upon  the  integrity  of  his  busi- 
ness dealings — at  least  during  one  por- 
tion of  his  remarkable  career. 


Thomas  Gresham,  the  Boyal  merchant 
and  Financier. 

Sir  Thomas  Gresham's  name  stands 
out  prominently  in  England's  mercan- 
tile annals,  as  the  founder  of  the  Royal 
Exchange,  and  as  a  distinguished  finan- 
cier. His  father  had  amassed  great 
wealth  and  attained  great  eminence  as 
a  merchant  and  bill  broker  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  VHI.,  and  he  resolved  to  train 
his  son  to  succeed  him  in  the  business 
so  successfully  pursued  by  himself. 
After  a  thorough  collegiate  education, 
young  Gresham  was  apprenticed  to  his 
imcle,  a  knight,  and  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  "  Merchants'  Company." 
Under  Edward  VI.,  Gresham  was  em- 
ployed on  the    same    services  as  his 


father  had  performed  for  that  king's 
father,  and  in  the  course  of  Edward's 
short  reign,  he  made  no  fewer  than 
forty  voyages  to  Antwerp,  on  the  royal 
business.  By  his  financial  skill  and 
foresight,  he  rendered  great  service  to 
the  revenues  of  the  English  crown, 
which  he  rescued  from  the  extortions 
of  Dutch  and  Jewish  capitalists,  and 
introduced  with  great  effect  the  prac- 
tice of  raising  money  from  native  money 
lenders,  in  preference  to  foreigners,  who 
exacted  a  ruinous  rate  of  interest. 
Mary  and  Elizabeth  continued  him  in 
his  employment,  and  the  latter  knight- 
ed him  in  1559.  He  had  now  accumu- 
lated an  immense  fortune  and  built 
himself  a  palatial  dwelling — which, 
after  his  wife's  death,  was  used  as 
Gresham  College,  and  the  site  of  which 
is  now  occupied  by  the  excise  office. 
He  lived  there  in  great  state,  and,  by 
command  of  Elizabeth,  he  often  enter- 
tained the  ambassadors  and  visitors  of 
rank  that  thronged  her  court.  To 
these  circumstances  Gresham  owed  his 
familiar  title  of  the  "  Boyal  Merchant 
and,  Financier^ 


Nicholas  Biddle,  the  Financier,  of 
Philadelphia. 

The  eminent  financier,  Nicholas 
Biddle,  was  bom  in  Philadelphia, 
Jan.  8,  1786,  and  died  there  Feb.  27, 
1844.  On  graduating  at  Princeton  col- 
lege, he  studied  for  the  legal  profes- 
sion, but  being  too  young  for  admis- 
sion to  the  bar,  he  accepted  the  post 
of  secretary  to  Gen.  Armstrong,  Minis- 
ter to  France,  and  afterward  filled  the 
same  position  under  Mr.  Monroe,  Minis- 
ter to  England.  He  afterward  travelled 
much  in  Europe,  and  in  1807  returned 
to  Philadelphia,  and  commenced  his 
career  as  a  lawyer.  He  edited  the 
"Portfolio,"  compiled  a  Commercial 
Digest,  and  prepared  the  popular 
narrative  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  Explora- 
tion. He  was  at  different  times  a 
representative  and  senator  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania  legislature,    where   he    ably 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


27 


supported  various  educational  meas- 
ures. He  was  a  candidate  for  Congress 
in  1817,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Fed- 
eral party.  In  1819,  President  Monroe 
appointed  him  a  government  director 
of  the  United  States  Bank,  and  in  1823 
he  became  its  president.  This  bank 
continued  until  the  expiration  of  its 
charter,  in  1836,  when  Congress  re- 
newed the  charter,  but  President  Jack- 
son vetoed  it.  The  Pennsylvania  legis- 
lature then  created  a  State  Bank, 
giving  to  it  the  name  of  the  United 
States  Bank.  Mr.  Biddle,  then  at  his 
zenith  as  a  financier,  was  urged  to 
accept  the  presidency  of  this  institu- 
tion, which  he  finally  though  reluc- 
tantly did,  serving  until  1836,  when  he 
resigned  on  account  of  ill  health.  Two 
years  afterward,  the  bank,  after  many 
struggles,  ceased  payment,  and  became 
insolvent.  Whether  this  was  the  result 
of  measures  pursued  during  the  admin- 
istration of  Mr.  Biddle,  or  after  it,  or 
of  general  causes  affecting  the  condi- 
tion of  the  whole  country,  were  points 
of  vehement  controversy  still  fresh  in 
the  minds  of  business  men.  Mr.  Biddle, 
besides  his  career  as  a  financier,  was  a 
writer  of  considerable  ability,  an 
agriculturist,  and  quite  an  adept  in  the 
fine  arts.  He  was  president  of  the 
trustees  of  Girard  College,  and  deter- 
mined the  plan  of  the  building  in 
accordance  with  his  fine  classic  taste ; 
also  the  beautiful  structure,  the  United 
States  custom-house. 


The  Baxingrs,  Merchants  and  Bankers, 
of  London. 

Various  origins  are  attributed  to  the 
members  of  the  house  and  family  of 
Baring.  It  has  been  stated,  and  is  gen- 
erally believed  to  be  the  most  authen- 
tic account  concerning  them,  that  they 
were  originally  German  weavers  who 
came  over  to  London ;  and,  being  suc- 
cessful in  business,  were,  through  the 
interest  of  William  Bingham,  of  Phila- 
delphia, appointed  agents  to  the  Amer- 
ican  government.     During  the  loyal- 


ty loan  in  1797,  the  head  of  the  house 
made  one  hundred  thousand  pounds 
for  three  consecutive  days ;  and  in  1806, 
somebody  sarcastically  said,  "  Sir  Fran- 
cis Baring  is  extending  his  purchases 
so  largely  in  Hampshire,  that  he  soon 
expects  to  be  able  to  inclose  the  coun- 
try with  his  own  park  paling."  Near- 
ly sixty  years  ago,  this  gentleman,  the 
first  algebraist  of  the  day,  retired  from 
business  with  a  regal  fortune,  and  died 
shortly  after  his  retirement.  But  the 
great  commercial  house  which  he  had 
raised  to  so  proud  a  position  was  con- 
tinued by  his  sons,  and  may  be  con- 
sidered the  most  important  mercantile 
establishment  in  the  British  empire ; 
and  as  an  instance  of  the  fortune  and 
capacity  of  its  members,  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  the  late  Lord  Ash- 
burton,  when  bearing,  as  Sir  Robert 
Peel  expressed  it,  "  the  honored  name 
of  Alexander  Baring,"  realized  £170,- 
000  in  two  years  by  his  combinations 
in  French  rentes. 

Peter  Baring  seems  to  have  been  one 
of  the  remotest  ancestors  of  the  Barings. 
He  lived  in  the  years  from  1660  to  1670 
at  Groningen,  in  the  Dutch  province  of 
Overyssel.  One  of  his  ancestors,  under 
the  name  of  Francis  Baring,  was  pastor 
of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Bremen,  and 
in  that  capacity  was  called  to  London, 
where,  among  others,  he  had  a  son 
named  John.  The  latter,  well  ac- 
quainted with  cloth-making,  settled  at 
Larkbeer,  in  Devonshire,  and  there  put 
up  an  establishment  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  that  article.  He  had  five  chil- 
dren— four  sons,  John,  Thomas,  Fran- 
cis, Charles,  and  a  daughter  called 
Elizabeth.  Two  of  those  sons,  John 
and  Francis,  established  themselves, 
under  the  firm  of  John  and  Francis 
Baring,  at  London,  originally  with  a 
view  of  facilitating  their  father's  trade, 
in  disposing  of  his  goods,  and  so  as  to 
be  in  a  position  to  import  the  raw 
material  to  be  required,  such  as  wool, 
dye  stuffs,  &c.,  directly  from  abroad. 
Thus  was  established  the  house  which, 


28 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


after  the  withdrawal  of  the  elder  broth- 
er, John,  who  retired  to  Exeter, — ^grad- 
ually under  the  firm-name  of  Francis 
Baring  &  Co.,  and  eventually  under 
that  of  Baring  Brothers  &  Co.,  rose  to 
world-wide  eminence  in  commerce. 


Isaac  De  Buirette,  the  Illustrious 
Cterman  Merchant. 

The  German  mercantile  house  of  De 
Buirette  was,  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, as  also  in  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth,  one  of  the  most  extensive 
and  renowned  on  the  continent  of 
Europe.  Its  name,  its  influence,  ex- 
tended over  the  whole  commercial 
world,  and  its  credit  was  unlimited. 
In  his  time,  Isaac  De  Buirette  was  con- 
sidered the  most  accomplished  mer- 
chant in  all  Germany,  Under  the  firm 
of  Blumart  &  De  Buirette,  he  carried 
on  the  most  important  exchange  busi- 
ness, and  entered  largely  into  great 
commercial  imdertakings  and  bold 
speculations.  A  second  house  was  in 
the  course  of  time  established  at  Vienna, 
which  acquired  in  a  short  period  a 
great  reputation,  and  was  the  most  cele- 
brated ware-emporium  of  that  famed 
commercial  metropolis.  The  king  of 
Prussia  made  him  his  financial  coun- 
sellor. His  learning  was  ripe  and 
varied.  His  correspondence  was  im- 
mense— extending  to  all  places  of  trade 
in  his  part  of  the  world,  and  also  be- 
yond, in  all  of  which  his  high  reputa- 
tion was  a  proverb,  and  an  imlimited 
confidence  and  credit  in  the  mercantile 
world  were  his  reward.  The  firm,  in 
its  later  stages,  and  after  the  decease 
of  Daniel  De  Buirette,  consisted  of  his 
three  sons,  and  existed  for  many  years. 
It  was  a  house  whose  £&me  will  never 
be  blotted  out  in  the  annals  of  German 
commerce. 


James  Beatty,  Kerchant,  of  Baltimore. 
The  name  of  James  Beatty  will  long 
be  known  in  the  mercantile  annals  of 
Baltimore,  as  that  of  an  imblemished 
merchant,  who  reaped  the  rewards  of 


his  good  judgment  and  uprightness. 
An  anecdote  which  he  himself  used  to 
relate  will  be  appropriate  here  as  illus- 
trating the  secret  of  his  success :  At 
the  time  of  the  approach  of  the  British 
forces  toward  Baltimore,  the  United 
States  navy  agent,  Mr.  Beatty,  was 
placed  in  a  somewhat  unpleasant  situa- 
tion by  repeated  threats  from  the  sol- 
diers in  the  regular  army,  that  unless 
they  received,  within  a  stated  period, 
all  the  wages  due  them,  they  had 
determined  to  revolt.  The  amount  of 
fimds  in  his  hands  was  far  short  of 
what  was  required,  and  the  banks  of 
the  city  were  called  upon  to  aid  in 
making  it  up ;  but  after  this  request 
had  been  complied  with,  there  was  still 
not  enough  to  satisfy  the  demand.  At 
this  juncture,  Mr.  Beatty  happening 
one  day  to  meet  Mr.  James  Wilson,  the 
latter  gentleman  made  inquiry  as  to 
how  matters  stood  with  him  in  relation 
to  the  raising  of  the  funds.  Mr.  Beatty 
related  the  circumstances,  upon  which 
Mr.  Wilson  requested  him  to  step  to  his 
coimting-room,  and  he  would  give  him 
a  check  for  the  sum  yet  wanting,  which 
was  over  $50,000.  Mr.  Beatty  went  to 
the  bank,  and  the  check  was  duly 
cashed — the  soldiers  returning  to  duty 
— ^the  battle  of  North  Point  was  fought 
shortly  afterward — the  war  was  closed 
— and  Government  again  became  ena- 
bled to  discharge  all  its  minor  debts 
in  that  section,  Mr.  Beatty  made  out 
a  statement  of  the  indebtedness  of  the 
Government  to  Mr.  Wilson  for  his  appro- 
val. "  Mr.  Beatty,"  said  the  patriotic 
merchant,  "  you  have  allowed  me  in- 
terest on  the  sum  loaned ;  sir,  I  want 
no  interest — the  money  was  lying  idle, 
and  it  was  just  as  well  that  Government 
should  have  the  use  of  it."  It  was 
doubtless  Mr.  Beatty's  method  to  put 
himself  in  contact  with  men  of  this 
stamp,  and  his  own  probity  and  judg- 
ment secured  their  confidence  as  well 
as  cooperation. 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


29 


P.  T.  Sarnum,  the  "  Prince  of  Show- 
men." 

Though  only  in  his  youth,  and  then 
but  for  a  brief  period  and  in  a  subordi- 
nate capacity,  engaged  in  mercantile 
trade,  the  career  of  Mr.  Baknum,  dating 
from  his  humble  beginning,  affords  one 
of  the  most  notable  instances  of  business 
enterprise,  perseverance,  originality, 
tact  and  success.  Indeed,  the  history 
of  the  American  business  world  during 
the  last  quarter  of  a  century  would  fail 
of  one  of  its  most  piquant  pages,  with- 
out some  reminiscences  of  the  "  Great 
Showman."  He  started  in  his  business 
career  without  a  cent,  and  was  compelled 
to  carry  on  the  struggle  alone.  He  com- 
menced life  as  a  clerk  in  a  country  store, 
and  married  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  He 
published  a  newspaper  several  years  in 
his  native  town,  where  he  was  fined 
and  imprisoned  for  publishing  his 
opinions  too  freely.  Afterward  he  tried 
mercantile  business  on  his  own  account, 
in  both  Connecticut  and  New  York, 
with  indiflFerent  success.  In  1835  he 
became  engaged  in  a  strolling  exhibi- 
tion ;  afterward  in  a  circus,  &c. ;  and 
in  1843,  bought  the  American  Museum 
in  New  York.  This  establishment 
began  to  thrive  immensely  under  his 
management.  In  1843  he  picked  up 
"Gen."  Tom  Thumb;  exhibited  him 
in  his  museum  a  year,  then  took  him 
to  Europe,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  appearing  before  all  the  prin- 
cipal courts  and  monarchs  of  the  old 
world,  and  returned  with  a  fortune  to 
his  native  country.  In  1850,  he  en- 
gaged Jenny  Lmd,  and  with  her  made 
the  most  triumphant  and  successful 
musical  tour  ever  known,  clearing,  it  is 
said,  some  half  a  million  dollars  in  nine 
months,  after  paying  that  lady  over 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars. 


Stephen  Qirard,  Uerchant  and  Banker, 

of  Philadelphia. 

Stephen  Girard  was  bom  in  the 

environs  of  Bordeaux,  May  24,  1750. 

Little  or  nothing  is  known  respecting 


the  condition  of  his  parents.  He  is 
supposed  to  have  left  his  native  coun- 
try at  the  age  of  ten  or  twelve  years,  in 
the  capacity  of  cabin  boy  in  a  vessel 
bound  for  the  West  Indies.  He  soon 
after  came  to  New  York,  as  cabin  boy 
and  apprentice  in  the  employment  of 
Captain  J.  Randall.  While  with  the 
latter,  his  deportment  was  distinguished 
by  such  fidelity,  industry  and  temper- 
ance, that  he  won  the  attachment  and 
confidence  of  his  master,  who  generally 
bestowed  on  him  the  appellation  of 
"  my  Stephen  ; "  and  when  he  gave  up 
business,  he  promoted  Girard  from  the 
situation  of  mate  to  the  command  of  a 
small  vessel,  in  which  he  made  several 
voyages  to  New  Orleans,  always  apply- 
ing himself  with  great  soberness  and 
diligence  to  the  accomplishment  of  his 
ends. 

Girard  was  self-taught,  and  the  world 
was  his  school.  His  intuitive  quick- 
ness of  conception  and  his  powers  of 
combination  were  such  as  would  cause 
a  very  little  instruction  to  go  a  great 
way.  It  was  a  favorite  theme  with 
him,  when  he  afterward  grew  rich,  to 
relate  that  he  commenced  life  with  a 
sixpence,  and  to  insist  that  the  best 
capital  a  man  can  have  is  his  personal 
industry. 

The  Water- Witch,  or,  at  least,  the 
captain  of  the  Water-Witch,  was  al- 
ways fortimate,  and  he  soon  became 
part  owner.  Such  was  his  confidence 
in  his  "  lucky  star,"  as  almost  to 
amount  to  superstition.  He  first  vis- 
ited Philadelphia  in  1769.  He  soon 
established  himself  in  business,  and 
was  reputed  a  thriving  man.  In  part- 
nership with  Isaac  Hazelhurst,  he  pur- 
chased two  brigs,  in  1771,  to  trade  to 
St.  Domingo.  Of  one  of  them  he  took 
command  himself  Both  were  captured 
and  sent  to  Jamaica.  For  once  his 
"  lucky  star "  forsook  him.  All  pro- 
fessions and  all  occupations,  which 
afforded  a  just  reward  for  labor,  were 
alike  honorable  in  his  estimation.  He 
was  never  too  proud  to  work,  even 


30 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


when  he  was  the  richest  millionnaire 
in  the  land.  During  the  revolutionary 
war,  he  bottled  and  sold  cider  and 
claret.  In  1780,  he  was  engaged  in 
trade  to  St.  Domingo  and  New  Orleans. 
In  1790,  on  the  dissolution  of  a  partner- 
ship which  had  some  time  existed  be- 
tween himself  and  his  brother,  John 
Girard,  he  was  found  by  their  mutual 
umpire  to  be  worth  thirty  thousand 
dollars. 

At  the  time  of  the  insurrection  of  the 
blacks  in  St.  Domingo,  he  had  a  brig 
and  schooner  in  port,  in  which  many 
of  the  inhabitants  deposited  their  most 
valuable  goods,  but  were  prevented  by 
a  violent  death  from  returning  to  claim 
them.  It  is,  however,  not  supposed 
that  he  received  in  this  manner  more 
than  fifty  thousand  dollars.  In  the 
time  of  the  fever,  in  1793,  when  con- 
sternation had  seized  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  the  city,  Girard,  then  an  opulent 
merchant,  ofifered  his  services  as  a  nurse 
in  the  hospital ;  his  oflFers  were  accept- 
ed, and,  in  the  performance  of  the  most 
loathsome  duties,  he  walked  unharmed 
in  the  midst  of  the  pestilence.  He  used 
to  say  to  his  fidends,  "  When  you  are 
sick,  or  anything  ails  you,  do  not  go  to 
the  doctor,  but  come  to  me.  I  will 
cure  you." 

The  terms  of  a  bargain  were  to  him 
a  law,  which  he  never  violated;  but 
in  his  breast  there  was  no  chancery 
jurisdiction  for  the  decision  of  causes 
in  equity.  The  misfortunes  of  a  bank- 
rupt, in  his  view,  were  follies,  which 
excited  no  commiseration. 

Having  been  successful  in  his  com- 
mercial speculations,  and  by  that  means 
made  immense  additions  to  his  proper- 
ty, in  1811,  in  expectation  of  a  renewal 
of  the  charter  of  the  old  Bank  of  the 
United  States,  he  purchased  a  large 
amount  of  the  stock  of  that  institution. 
The  charter  was  not  renewed,  and  the 
banking  house  coming  into  his  hands 
by  purchase,  at  a  reduced  price,  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States  became 
Stephen  Girard's  Bank.    It  was  emi- 


nently convenient  to  the  public  at  the 
time  it  was  established,  and  during  the 
war  was  particularly  useful  to  the 
government,  supplying,  in  fact,  the 
want  of  a  national  institution,  at  a 
time  when  it  was  especially  needed. 
On  the  establishment  of  the  last  nation- 
al bank,  Mr.  Girard,  just  at  the  close 
of  the  subscription,  took  the  balance 
of  the  stock,  namely,  three  million  and 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Mr.  Girard  did  much  to  ornament 
the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  his  ambi- 
tion during  his  long  and  untiring  busi- 
ness career,  seems  to  have  been  to  die 
the  richest  man  in  the  country  and  be 
remembered  as  the  patron  of  learning 
and  the  benefactor  of  the  poor.  He 
died  December  26,  1831,  in  the  eighty- 
second  year  of  his  age,  the  Girard 
College  and  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
being  his  principal  devisees. 


Alexander  T.  Stewart,  Uercliant,  of 
New  York. 

In  his  early  years,  Mr.  Stewart 
was  engaged  in  teaching,  but  soon 
changed  his  employment  for  a  small 
mercantile  business.  He  commenced 
with  but  a  limited  capital,  and  opened 
a  store  on  Broadway,  in  1827.  This 
little  concern,  in  which  he  then  was 
salesman,  buyer,  financier,  and  sole 
manager,  has  gradually  increased  in 
importance,  until  it  has  become  the 
present  splendid  establishment,  whose 
name  and  fame  are  heard  everywhere. 

The  marble  block  which  the  firm 
now  occupies  was  built  nearly  twenty 
years  ago.  It  had  been  the  site  of  an 
old-fashioned  hotel  called  the  "  Wash- 
ington," which  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Mr.  Stewart  bought  the  plot  at  auction 
for  seventy  thousand  dollars, — a  small 
sum  in  comparison  with  its  present 
value.  To  this  was  subsequently  added 
adjacent  lots  in  Broadway,  Reade,  and 
Chambers  streets,  and  the  present  mag- 
nificent pile  was  reared.  This  estab- 
lishment, large  as  it  is,  proved  too 
small  for  the  increasing  business ;  hence 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


31 


another  mercantile  palace  has  been 
erected  by  Mr.  Stewart,  in  Broadway 
and  Tenth  street,  TMa  is  intended 
for  the  retail  trade,  and  is,  no  doubt, 
the  most  splendid  structure  of  the  kind 
in  the  world.  The  down-town  store  is 
devoted  to  the  wholesale  trade.  The 
firm  of  A.  T.  Stewart  &  Co.  consists  of 
Mr.  Stewart  and  two  partners,  one  of 
whom,  Mr.  Fox,  resides  in  Manchester, 
and  the  other,  Mr.  "Warton,  in  Paris. 
These  gentlemen,  together  with  agents 
in  the  principal  cities  of  Europe,  are 
constantly  engaged  in  furnishing  the 
house  with  supplies  of  goods.  The 
amount  of  annual  sales  is  estimated 
at  from  ten  to  twenty  millions.  In  the 
retail  department,  the  proceeds  of  which 
are  included  in  this  estimate,  the  daily 
sales  vary,  according  to  the  weather 
and  the  season,  from  three  thousand  to 
twelve  thousand  dollars. 

Mr.  Stewart  has  attained  his  present 
position  by  patient  toil  and  forty  years 
of  close  application  to  business.  His 
remarkably  fine  taste  in  the  selection 
of  dress  articles,  by  means  of  which  he 
was  always  able  to  have  superior  goods, 
probably  led  to  his  first  success.  He 
has  everything  reduced  to  a  perfect  sys- 
tem. Each  branch  of  his  trade  is  under  a 
special  manager,  who  is  selected  with  a 
view  to  his  qualifications  for  that  de- 
partment. The  numerous  failures  which 
take  place  among  the  business  men  of 
New  York  give  him  his  choice  among 
them  for  his  managers,  so  that  he  is 
always  able  to  find  the  kind  of  men  he 
needs  and  whom  he  can  trust.  He  is 
an  accurate  judge  of  character,  posses- 
sing a  penetration  which  enables  him 
to  read  men  at  a  glance ;  so  that  it  is 
rarely,  if  ever,  that  he  is  deceived.  He 
sits  close  in  his  office,  is  seldom  seen  in 
the  salesrooms,  or  among  his  clerks,  yet 
seems  to  know  everything  that  is  going 
on  throughout  the  establishment.  Mr. 
Stewart  is  a  native  of  Ireland. 


Edwin  D.  SCorgran,  Merchant,  of  New 
York. 

Mr.  MoBGAN  is  widely  known  both 
as  a  successful  merchant  and  able  states- 
man. His  father,  Jasper  Morgan,  an 
old  and  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Connecticut,  formerly  lived  in  Berk- 
shire county,  Mass.,  and  there  it  was 
that  his  son  Edwin  was  bom,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1811.  He  received  a  fair  educa- 
tion before  he  was  seventeen,  without 
going  to  college,  and  at  about  that  age 
commenced  his  mercantile  experience 
in  a  store  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  at  a  salary 
of  sixty  dollars  for  the  first,  seventy-five 
for  the  second,  and  one  hundred  for  the 
third  year's  service.  A  trip  to  the  great 
city  was  not  then  made  with  the  facility 
that  it  is  now ;  but  as  he  had  served 
for  two  or  three  years  in  the  store,  and 
acquired  the  confidence  of  his  em- 
ployer, he  was  permitted  to  go  to  New 
York,  and,  to  combine  business  with 
pleasure,  was  intrusted  to  make  sundry 
purchases  of  tea,  sugar,  etc.,  and  also 
com,  which  was  then  becoming  an  ar- 
ticle of  import,  instead  of  export.  The 
visit  was  made,  and  Edwin  returned 
in  due  time,  by  the  old  stage  route. 
After  being  greeted  and  welcomed, 
his  employer  inquired  as  to  the  com. 
The  price  was  very  satisfactory ;  but 
his  employer  doubted  if  the  article 
would  be  of  good  quality  at  so  low  a 
rate.  Edwin  immediately  drew  a 
handful,  first  from  one  pocket  and 
then  from  another,  as  samples,  and  the 
old  gentleman  expressed  his  approba- 
tion. It  had  been  usual  for  the  dealers 
to  purchase  two  or  three  himdred 
bushels  at  a  time,  and  he  then  inquired 
of  Edwin  as  to  the  quantity,  but  was 
nonplussed  by  the  answer  that  he  had 
bought  two  cargoes,  and  that  the  ves- 
sels were  probably  in  the  river. 

"  Why,  Edwin,"  said  the  astonished 
old  gentleman,  "  what  are  we  to  do  with 
two  cargoes  of  com  ?  Where  can  we 
put  it  ?    Where  can  we  dispose  of  it  ?" 

"  Oh  ! "  replied  Edwin,  "  I  have  dis- 
posed of  all  that  you  don't  want,  at  an 


82 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


adyance ;  I  have  shown  the  samples  to 
Messrs.  A.  &  B.,  who  wish  three  hun- 
dred bushels ;  C.  &  Co.,  three  hundred, 
&c.,  &c.  I  could  have  disposed  of  three 
cargoes,  if  I  had  had  them.  I  stopped 
into  the  stores  as  I  came  along,  and 
made  sales." 

This  was  a  new  phase,  and  out  of  the 
old  routine ;  but  the  gains  and  results 
were  not  to  be  questioned.  The  fol- 
lowing morning,  Edwin  was  at  the 
store,  as  always,  in  season,  and  had 
taken  the  broom  to  sweep  out  the 
counting  room,  when  his  employer 
entered. 

"  I  think,"  said  he,  "  you  had  better 
put  aside  the  broom ;  we  will  find 
some  one  else  to  do  the  sweeping.  A 
man  who  can  go  to  New  York,  and  on 
his  own  responsibility  purchase  two 
cargoes  and  make  sales  of  them  with- 
out counselling  with  his  principal,  can 
be  otherwise  more  advantageously  em- 
ployed. It  is  best  that  he  should  be- 
come a  partner  in  the  firm  for  which  he 
is  doing  so  much," — and  he  did,  though 
not  yet  of  age. 

When  he  had  just  attained  to  his  ma- 
jority, Mr.  Morgan  was  elected  to  the 
city  council  of  Hartford ;  and  at  twenty- 
two  he  married  Miss  Waterman,  of  that 
city,  by  whom  he  has  but  one  surviving 
child — a  son.  He  removed  to  the  city 
of  New  York  in  1836,  establishing  him- 
self as  a  wholesale  grocer,  upon  a  small 
capital  of  four  thousand  dollars,  but 
which  his  business  qualities  afterward 
greatly  enlarged,  and  his  fortune  in- 
creased, until  now  the  house  of  Edwin 
D.  Morgan  &  Co.  is  one  of  the  richest 
of  the  metropolis.  In  1849,  Mr.  Mor- 
gan was  elected  a  member  of  the  then 
Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen ;  in  1853, 
a  member  of  the  State  Senate ;  in  1858, 
to  the  high  position  of  Governor  of  the 
State;  and  he  now  fills  the  honored 
post  of  United  States  Senator.  Such  a 
career  of  combined  mercantile  success 
and  political  honors  is  rare  indeed. 


Nathan  Appleton,  DVCerchant,  of  Boston. 

Mr.  Appletok  was  bom  in  New  Ips- 
wich, N.  H.,  in  1779,  and  was  the 
seventh  son  of  Isaac  Appleton.  At  fif- 
teen years  of  age  he  was  examined  and 
admitted  into  Dartmouth  College.  It 
was  decided,  however,  that  he  should 
proceed  no  further  in  his  collegiate 
studies.  His  brother  Samuel,  who  had 
been  in  trade  in  New  Ipswich,  and 
was  about  to  remove  to  Boston,  pro- 
posed that  he  should  accompany  him. 
This  was  accepted,  and,  as  he  after- 
ward said,  "  It  was  determined  that  I 
should  become  a  merchant  rather  than 
a  scholar."  His  brother  commenced 
business  in  a  small  shop  on  Comhill, 
Boston ;  it  consisted  mostly  in  purchas- 
ing goods  at  auction  and  selling  them 
again  to  country  dealers  for  cash  and 
short  credit,  at  a  small  profit.  In  1799, 
his  brother  made  a  short  visit  to  Eu- 
rope, and  left  his  business  in  the  charge 
of  Nathan.  On  the  return  of  the  for- 
mer, he  removed  to  a  warehouse  in 
State  street,  and  proposed  to  the  latter, 
who  had  become  of  age,  to  be  a  partner. 
This  was  accepted,  and  Nathan  now 
had  at  hand  opportunities  for  enlarging 
his  observation  and  experience.  He 
was  sent  out  to  England  to  purchase 
goods.  Europe  was  in  a  state  of  war. 
The  news  of  peace  reached  him,  how- 
ever, on  landing,  and  changed  the 
whole  current  and  condition  of  trade. 
He  postponed  his  purchases  and  trav- 
elled on  the  Continent;  shortly  after- 
ward returning  to  America  and  resum- 
ing his  mercantile  career.  In  1806  he 
married  Maria  Theresa  Gold,  eldest 
daughter  of  Thomas  Gold,  of  Pittsfield, 
and  for  the  health  of  his  wife  soon 
crossed  the  ocean  again.  In  Edinburgh 
he  met  Mr.  Francis  C.  Lowell,  at  the 
moment  the  latter  was  first  conceiving 
the  policy  to  which  the  cotton  manu- 
facture of  New  England  owes  its  origin ; 
with  him  he  held  an  earnest  and  en- 
couraging consultation  in  regard  to  it. 
As  capital  accumulated  in  his  hands. 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


83 


he  took  an  active  part  in  connection 
with  Mr.  Lowell,  Patrick  T.  Jackson, 
Paul  Moody,  and  others,  in  establishing 
the  cotton  factory  at  Waltham,  Mass. 
He  says:  "When  the  first  loom  was 
ready  for  trial,  many  little  matters 
were  to  be  adjusted  or  overcome  before 
it  would  work  perfectly.  Mr.  Lowell 
said  to  me  that  he  did  not  wish  me  to 
see  it  until  it  was  complete,  of  which 
he  would  give  me  notice.  At  length 
the  time  arrived,  and  he  invited  me  to 
go  out  with  him  to  see  the  loom  oper- 
ate. I  well  recollect  the  state  of  satis- 
faction and  admiration  with  which  we 
sat  by  the  hour  watching  the  beautiful 
movement  of  this  new  and  wonderful 
machine,  destined,  as  it  evidently  was, 
to  change  the  character  of  all  textile 
industry."  Mr.  Appleton  was  also  one 
of  the  chief  associates  in  the  company 
which  made  the  first  purchases  for  a 
like  purpose  in  Lowell.  On  different 
occasions  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  legislature,  and  in 
1830  was  chosen  a  member  of  Congress. 
In  1842  he  was  again  sent,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  occasioned  by  the  resignation 
of  Robert  C.  Winthrop.  In  this  sphere, 
his  mind  naturally  turned  to  the  finan- 
cial and  commercial  view  of  questions. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  American 
Academy  of  Science  and  Arts,  and  of 
the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society. 
Mr.  Appleton  died  in  Boston,  July  14, 
1861,  and  left  a  very  large  fortune. 

The  name  of  William  Appleton  is 
justly  entitled  to  a  place  in  the  records 
of  this  eminent  commercial  family. 
Few  names,  indeed,  shine  out  with 
such  conspicuous  and  unsullied  lustre 
in  the  annals  of  American  mercantile 
fame  as  this.  For  their  enterprise,  in- 
tegrity, benevolence,  and  public  spirit, 
they  have  never  been  surpassed  by  any 
of  the  "  solid  men  of  Boston,"  whose 
character  reflects  such  honor  upon 
American  commerce,  at  home  and 
abroad. 


David  Bicardo,  Engrlish  Financier. 

David  Ricabdo,  celebrated  alike  as  a 
merchant,  banker,  and  financial  writer, 
was  bom  in  London,  of  a  Jewish  family, 
in  1772.  His  father,  a  native  of  Hol- 
land, was  for  several  years  a  prominent 
banker  in  London,  and,  designing  his 
son  for  the  same  occupation,  he  sent 
him  to  Holland,  where  he  might  obtain 
the  best  commercial  education.  Soon 
after  his  return  to  England,  he  was 
taken  into  his  father's  office  as  a  clerk, 
and,  when  of  age,  he  was  associated 
with  him  in  business.  He  subsequently 
formed  a  matrimonial  alliance  with  a 
lady  of  the  Christian  faith,  which  union 
was  displeasing  to  his  father,  by  reason 
of  the  latter's  religious  scruples, — the 
elder  Mr.  Ricardo  having  been  bom  of 
Jewish  parents,  and  continuing  in  that 
faith  until  his  death.  This  breach 
between  the  father  and  the  son, — 
which,  however,  was  afterwards  en- 
tirely healed, — necessarily  caused  the 
dissolution  of  their  business  copartner- 
ship. 

But  the  character  of  the  son,  for 
industry,  talent,  and  fair  dealing,  early 
secured  to  him  the  confidence  of  busi- 
ness men  as  well  as  that  of  the  commu- 
nity, and  he  thus  accumulated  a  mag- 
nificent fortune.  He  amassed  his  im- 
mense wealth  by  a  scrupulous  attention 
to  what  he  called  his  own  three  golden 
rules,  and  the  observance  of  which  he 
used  to  press  on  his  private  business 
friends.  These  were  :  "  Never  refuse  an 
option  wTien  you  can  get  it,^'' — "  Cut  short 
your  losses,^'' — "  Let  your  profits  run  on.^'' 
By  cutting  short  one's  losses,  Mr.  Ri- 
cardo meant,  that  when  a  broker  had 
made  a  purchase  of  stock,  and  prices 
were  falling,  he  ought  to  re-sell  imme- 
diately. And  by  letting  one's  profits 
run  on,  he  meant,  that  when  a  broker 
possessed  stock,  and  prices  were  rising, 
he  ought  not  to  sell  until  prices  had 
reached  their  highest,  and  were  begin- 
ning to  fall. 

Besides    being  an  eminent  banker, 


34 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Mr.  Ricardo  was  a  most  profuse  writer 
on  finance  and  currency,  and  his  works 
on  these  subjects  gained  for  him  a  high 
repute.  He  was  also  of  quite  a  specu- 
lative turn  of  mind — and  in  some  res- 
pects strangely  so — on  religious  themes. 
He  is  stated  to  have  adopted  the  Uni- 
tarian system  of  belief^  though  usually 
attending  the  established  or  Episcopal 
church.  On  the  other  hand,  he  is  said 
to  have  suggested,  as  an  "improve- 
ment," a  sort  of  intermediate  faith  be- 
tween Judaism  and  Christianity ;  hold- 
ing that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  worthy  man 
and  an  excellent  teacher,  whose  pre- 
cepts should  therefore  be  regarded  with 
great  respect, — but  that  "he  assumed 
too  much  in  his  claim  to  be  the  son  of 
God,  and  therefore  that  the  blame  of  his 
unhappy  catastrophe  was  to  be  divided 
between  his  enemies  and  himself." 
The  number  of  adherents  to  Mr.  Ricar- 
do's  faith  were  very  few,  and  his  wri- 
tings on  this  subject  were  far  less  bril- 
liant in  their  results  than  those  which 
constituted  the  staple  of  his  counting- 
house  ledgers. 


Judah  Touro,  Merchant,  of  New  Or- 
leans. 
A  well  written  life  of  this  remarkable 
man  would  make  a  volume  of  peculiar 
interest,  especially  to  the  mercantile 
class,  of  which  he  was  long  so  honor- 
able as  well  as  successful  a  member. 
At  first,  he  opened  a  small  shop  on  St. 
Louis  street,  near  the  levee,  where  he 
began  a  brisk  and  profitable  trade  in 
soap,  candles,  codfish,  and  other  exports 
of  New  England,  making  prompt  re- 
txuns  to  his  Mends  in  Boston.  His 
fidelity,  integrity,  and  good  manage- 
ment, soon  secured  him  a  large  New 
England  trade,  every  vessel  from  that 
section  bringing  him  large  consign- 
ments, and  many  ships  being  placed  at 
his  disposal,  as  agent,  to  obtain  cargoes 
and  collect  freight.  His  business  was 
prosperous,  his  funds  accumulated.  He 
invested  his  surplus  means  very  judi- 
ciously in  ships  and  in  real  estate,  which 


rapidly  advanced  in  value.  His  career, 
guided  by  certain  principles  to  which 
he  steadfastly  adhered,  was  one  of 
honest,  methodical  labor,  and  stem 
fidelity  to  the  legitimate  practices  of 
trade,  never  embarking  in  any  hazard- 
ous ventures  or  speculations,  never 
turning  aside  from  his  chosen  sphere 
of  business,  and  adhering  rigidly  to 
the  cash  system. 

Mr.  Touro  was  as  methodical  and  reg- 
ular as  a  clock.  His  neighbors  were  in 
the  habit  of  judging  of  the  time  of  day 
by  his  movements.  In  his  business  he 
rarely  employed  more  than  one  clerk, 
and  even  this  one  was  generally  a  lad. 
It  was  his  custom  to  open  his  store 
himself  at  sunrise  and  close  it  at 
sunset.  He  attended  to  aU  his  affairs 
himself,  and  had  them  so  well  arranged 
that  there  was  no  possibility  of  any 
misunderstanding.  He  engaged  in  no 
lawsuits,  though  he  lived  in  one  of  the 
most  litigious  communities  in  the 
world.  He  could  not  bear  a  disputa- 
tious, nor  even  a  very  earnest,  discus- 
sion. On  one  occasion  his  friend,  Dr. 
Clapp,  became  involved  in  a  very  warm 
discussion  on  a  theological  question 
with  some  clergymen  of  the  city.  Mr. 
Jouro  was  greatly  annoyed  at  the  war- 
fare of  words  and  logic  thus  carried  on, 
and  begged  Dr.  Clapp  to  desist  from  a 
controversy  which  was  so  unpleasant 
to  him. 

Mr.  Touro's  hard  experience  of  the 
discomforts  attending  voyages  by  sea, 
though  it  determined  him  to  remain  on 
land  for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  could 
not  eradicate  from  him  that  natural 
passion  of  a  New  Englander — as  he 
was — to  own  ships.  He  had  conse- 
quently invested  largely  of  his  means 
in  this  business,  and  owned  some  of 
the  largest  and  best  built  ships  that 
came  into  the  port  of  New  Orleans.  It 
was  rather  an  amusing  peculiarity  of 
his,  that  though  he  took  great  pleasure 
and  pride  in  walking  along  the  wharves 
and  surveying  the  grand  and  symme- 
trical proportions  of  his  noble  ships,  he 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


35 


could  never  be  persuaded  to  go  aboard 
and  examine  and  admire  their  interior. 
Mr.  Touro's  career  was  perhaps  not  so 
eventful  as  that  of  his  townsmen  John 
McDonogh  and  Jacob  Barker,  and  yet, 
as  an  upright,  enterprising,  and  success- 
ful merchant,  there  are  few  whose 
names  can  be  placed  in  advance  of 
his. 


"  Old  Billy  Gray,"  Merchant,  of  Bos- 
ton. 

Among  the  successful  and  honorable 
merchants  of  America,  few  have  stood 
higher  than  William  Gkat — "  Old 
Billy  Gray,"  as  he  came  to  be  univer- 
sally called.  He  was  bom  in  Lynn, 
Mass.,  in  1751,  and  when  quite  a  small 
boy  was  apprenticed  to  a  merchant  in 
Salem.  He  finished  his  commercial 
education  with  Richard  Derby,  of  that 
port ;  and  such  was  his  character  for 
enterprise  and  strict  integrity  during 
his  apprenticeship,  that  when,  soon  after 
its  close,  he  commenced  business  for 
himself,  he  had  the  entire  confidence 
and  good  will  of  the  whole  community. 
PcDsperity  waited  upon  him  in  all  his 
transactions,  and  in  less  than  twenty- 
five  years  after  he  commenced  business, 
he  was  taxed  as  the  wealthiest  man  in 
Salem,  notwithstanding  some  of  the 
largest  fortunes  in  the  United  States 
belonged  to  that  town.  H!is  enterprise 
and  industry  were  wonderful ;  and  at 
one  time  he  had  more  than  sixty  sail 
of  square-rigged  vessels  on  the  ocean. 
For  more  than  fifty  years,  he  arose  at 
dawn,  and  was  ready  for  the  business 
of  the  day  before  others  had  finished 
their  last  nap.  Although  he  had  mil- 
lions of  dollars  afloat  on  the  sea  of 
business,  he  was  careful  of  small  expen- 
ditures— those  leaks  which  endanger 
the  ship — and  his  whole  life  was  a 
lesson  of  prudent  economy,  without 
penuriousness. 

During  the  embargo,  Mr.  Gray  took 
sides  with  Jefferson,  notwithstanding 
New  England  was  all  in  a  blaze  against 
the  president,  and  it  was  an  injury  to 


the  amount  of  tens  of  thousands  of 
dollars  to  the  great  merchant's  busi- 
ness. In  the  midst  of  the  commercial 
distress,  he  removed  to  Boston,  and 
having  pleased  the  people  while  a 
State  senator,  he  was  chosen  lieutenant- 
governor  of  the  commonwealth.  He 
freely  used  his  immense  riches  for  the 
wants  of  Government,  and  it  is  said 
never  took  advantage  of  the  exigencies 
of  the  times,  to  speculate  in  government 
securities.  After  the  war  of  1812-15, 
he  engaged  largely  in  business  again, 
but  he  lost  often  aijd  heavily.  Yet  he 
died  a  rich  man,  and  universally  re- 
spected, at  his  elegant  mansion  in  Bos- 
ton, Nov.  4,  1825,  aged  about  seventy- 
four  years.  It  has  been  stated  that  at 
one  period  in  his  early  career,  Mr.  Gray 
was  a  poor  shoemaker ;  but,  notwith- 
standing his  subsequent  great  wealth, 
and  the  magnificence  of  his  dwelling, 
the  old  cobbler's  bench  which  he  for- 
merly used  long  remained  intact  in  a 
separate  room,  and  was  shown  with 
pride  to  his  visitors  as  the  sign  of 
what  he  once  was. 


"  Bich  Spencer,"  IXerchant  and  Bank- 
er, of  Iiondon. 

John  Spencek — afterward  Sir  John, 
and,  in  1594,  Lord  Mayor  of  London — 
died  possessed  of  property  valued  at 
several  round  millions,  acquired  by  his 
tact  and  shrewdness  in  the  pursuits  of 
commerce.  There  is  much  that  might 
be  written  respecting  the  humors  and 
caprices  of  this  noted  representative 
of  the  commerce  of  that  period, — one 
who  rose  to  such  eminence  in  the  an- 
nals of  wealth  amassed  by  sharp  deal- 
ing and  still  closer  saving.  In  a  curi- 
ous pamphlet  printed  in  1651,  and  en- 
titled "  The  Vanity  of  the  Lives  and 
Passions  of  Men,"  there  is  the  follow- 
ing singular  anecdote  respecting  this 
"  Rich  Spencer  " — for  so  Sir  John  was 
usually  called:  In  Queen  Elizabeth's 
days,  a  private  of  Dunkirk  laid  a  plot 
with  twelve  of  his  mates,  to  carry 
Spencer  away,  and  which,  if  he  had 


86 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


done,  fifty  thousand  pounds,  it  is  stated, 
would  not  have  redeemed  him.  This 
private  come  over  the  seas  in  a  shallop, 
with  twelve  musketeers,  and  in  the 
night  came  into  Baring  Creek,  and  left 
the  shallop  in  the  custody  of  six  of  his 
men,  and  with  the  other  six  came  as 
far  as  Islington,  and  there  hid  them- 
selves in  ditches,  near  the  path  in 
which  Sir  John  came  to  his  house 
(Canonbury  House)  ;  but,  as  good  for- 
tune would  have  it,  Sir  John  was  forced, 
by  some  unusual  demands  of  busi- 
ness, to  stay  in  London  that  night. 
But  for  this,  he  would  have  been  taken 
away  and  rigidly  dealt  with.  The  kid 
nappers,  fearing  they  should  be  dis- 
covered, returned  in  the  night  time  to 
their  shallop,  and  went  back  to  Dun- 
kirk, minus  their  anticipated  booty. 


Jacques  Ccsttr,  French  Uercliant  in  the 
Middle  Agres. 

Jacques  Ccettr  was  the  great  French 
merchant  and  financier  of  the  middle 
ages.  He  sprung  from  the  people,  and 
raised  himself,  by  successful  commer- 
cial enterprise,  to  a  level  with  the 
princes  of  his  age.  He  found  French 
commerce  behind  that  of  every  other 
nation,  and  left  it  prosperous  and  in- 
creasing. Direct  and  speedy  commu- 
nication with  the  East  seems  to  have 
been  his  great  idea.  Modem  Europe 
is  still  striving  for  it.  He  had,  at  one 
time,  in  his  employment,  three  hundred 
factors ;  and  the  rest  of  the  merchants 
of  France,  with  the  whole  of  those  of 
Italy,  are  not  supposed  to  have  equalled 
this  one  man,  in  the  extent  of  their 
commercial  dealings.  "  As  rich  as 
Jacques  Cceur,"  became  a  proverb.  It 
was  even  believed,  by  some,  that  he 
had  found  the  philosopher's  stone ; 
and  popular  tradition  asserts  that  so 
great  was  the  profusion  of  the  precious 
metals  possessed  by  him,  that  his  horses 
were  shod  with  silver — a  common  repu- 
tation, even  at  the  present  day,  enjoyed 
by  persons  of  singular  wealth. 

He  showed  himself  worthy  of  his 


great  mercantile  eminence,  by  giving 
his  wealth,  thus  acquired,  freely  for 
noble  objects.  He  raised  three  armies 
for  king  Charles  at  his  own  cost ;  and 
he  repaired  and  reestablished,  in  his 
office  of  Argentier,  the  deranged  finan- 
ces of  the  kingdom.  It  was  his  money 
which  enabled  the  French  to  profit  by 
the  genius  and  enthusiasm  of  Joan  of 
Arc ;  and  it  was  his  honest  sympathy, 
and  steady,  manly  counsel,  which  seems 
to  have  sustained  the  tender  and  brave 
heart  of  the  noblest  of  royal  mistresses, 
in  her  eflforts  to  save  the  king.  On  her 
death  bed,  she  selected  Jacques  Coeur 
for  her  executor. 

Jacques  Coeur  had,  in  the  course  of 
twenty  years,  more  commercial  pow- 
er than  all  the  rest  of  the  merchants 
of  the  Mediterranean  put  together. 
Everywhere  his  vessels  were  respected 
as  though  he  had  been  a  sovereign 
prince ;  they  covered  the  seas  wherever 
commerce  was  to  be  cultivated,  and, 
from  farthest  Asia,  they  brought  back 
cloths  of  gold  and  silk,  ftirs,  arms,  spi- 
ces, and  ingots  of  gold  and  silver,  still 
swelling  his  mighty  stores,  and  filling 
Europe  with  surprise  at  his  adventurous 
daring  and  his  unparalleled  persever- 
ance. Like  his  great  prototype,  Cos- 
mo de  Medicis,  who,  from  a  simple  mer- 
chant, became  a  supreme  ruler,  Jacques 
Coeur,  the  Medicis  of  Bourges,  became 
illustrious  and  wealthy,  and  sailed  long 
in  the  favorable  breezes  of  fortune, 
admired,  envied,  feared,  and  courted 
by  all. 

But  his  weakness  seems  to  have  lain 
in  the  direction  of  personal  magnificence 
and  splendor,  and  to  this  may  be  traced 
his  fall.  He  did  not  allow  sufficiently 
for  the  prejudices  of  his  age,  and  at  last 
armed  them  for  his  ruin.  He  is  de- 
scribed to  have  far  transcended,  in  his 
personal  attendance  and  equipments,  the 
chiefs  of  the  most  illustrious  families 
of  France ;  and  when  Charles  made  his 
triumphal  entry  into  Rouen,  the  mer- 
chant Jacques  Coeur  was  seen  by  the 
side  of  Dunois,  with  arms  and  tunic 


EARLY   CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


37 


precisely  the  same  as  his.  His  destruc- 
tion was  planned  by  a  party  of  the 
nobles,  and  an  indictment  of  all  sorts 
of  crimes  preferred  against  him — among 
them,  the  charge  of  having  poisoned 
Agnes  Sorel.  He  narrowly  escaped 
torture  and  death;  and  only  this  by 
confiscation  of  his  treasures  (which  his 
judges  divided  among  them),  and  per- 
petual banishment.  This  latter  re- 
solved itself  ultimately  into  a  sort  of 
strict  surveillance  in  a  French  convent, 
from  which  he  at  last  escaped  by  the 
fidelity  of  one  of  his  agents,  who  had 
married  his  niece.  He  was  again  char- 
acteristically engaging  in  active  pur- 
suits; and  beginning  life  anew,  on  the 
coast  of  Asia  Minor,  when  illness  seized 
him  in  the  island  of  Scio. 


FeletiaJi  Perit,  Merchant,  of  New 
York. 

The  name  of  Peletiah  Perit  has 
been  familiar  in  the  business  circles  of 
New  York  for  about  half  a  century, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  honored.  He 
was  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Perit  &  Lathrop,  and  in  1819  he 
became  a  partner  in  the  house  of  Good- 
hue &  Co.  Mr.  Perit  (says  the  author 
of  the  "  Old  Merchants  of  New  York  ") 
was  born  in  Norwich,  Conn.,  and  re- 
ceived a  collegiate  education  at  Yale 
College.  In  the  first  partnership  of  Mr. 
Perit  with  Mr.  Lathrop,  his  brother- 
in-law,  he  was  not  successful,  and  dur- 
ing the  war  he  was  connected  with  an 
artillery  company,  and  performed  mili- 
tary service  in  the  forts  that  protected 
the  harbor.  After  he  went  with  Mr. 
Goodhue,  his  commercial  good  fortunes 
returned,  and  their  house  coined  mon- 
ey. In  1833  or  1834,  the  health  of  Mr. 
Perit  declined,  and  he  conceived  the 
idea  that  it  was  necessary  to  take  more 
active  exercise,  and  in  order  to  insure 
that  daily,  he  purchased  a  piece  of  pro- 
perty on  the  North  river,  lying  between 
Bumham's  and  the  Orphan  Asylum. 
It  may  have  cost  him  perhaps  ten 
thousand  dollars.     He  sold  it  about 


two  years  ago,  and  it  is  now  supposed 
to  be  worth  half  a  million  dollars. 
This  is  a  comment  on  persevering  merr 
cantile  life.  By  a  mere  accident  Mr. 
Perit  buys  a  small  lot  of  land,  and 
makes  more  money  than  Goodhue  & 
Co.  ever  made  in  fifty-three  years'  hard 
work  !  Probably  no  house  has  done  a 
larger  business  with  all  parts  of  the 
world  than  Goodhue  for  the  fifty-three 
years  that  it  has  existed  in  a  continuous 
business.  This  house,  so  eminent,  com- 
manding means  to  an  extent  that  an 
outsider  has  no  conception  of,  has  made 
merely  moderate  earnings  in  compari- 
son with  some  lucky  land  hit,  made 
by  imknown  and  uncredited  persons, 
that  has  realized  millions.  Since  Mr. 
Perit  sold  his  property  in  New  York, 
he  has  removed  to  New  Haven,  Conn. 
He  has  done  much  for  the  benevolent 
enterprises  of  the  day.  He  is  unequalled 
as  a  merchant,  and  has  been  for  many 
years  honored  with  the  presidency  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


Jacob  Hiderway,  Mercliant,  of  Phil- 
adelphia. 

This  wealthy  Philadelphia  celebrity 
came  from  New  Jersey  at  an  early  age, 
and  commenced  the  life  of  a  busy,  bold, 
and  enterprising  merchant.  He  com- 
menced on  a  small  scale ;  but  by  his 
industry,  integrity,  economy,  and  atten- 
tion to  business,  he  rose  rapidly.  Dame 
Fortune  smiled,  and  in  course  of  time 
he  took  high  rank  among  the  shipping 
merchants  of  that  period.  He  visited 
Europe,  to  superintend  a  branch  of  the 
house  with  which  he  was  connected; 
and  soon  after,  having  the  confidence 
of  the  merchants  of  his  own  country, 
Mr.  RiDGWAY  was  appointed  American 
consul  at  Antwerp,  where  he  laid  the 
foundation  of  his  handsome  fortune. 
He  returned  soon  after,  and  retired 
from  mercantile  pursuits,  settling  him- 
self in  Philadelphia,  and  engaging  ex- 
tensively in  plans  for  the  improvement 
of  it  and  the  city  of  Camden,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  Delaware.    la 


38 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


proportion  as  his  efforts  and  means 
were  laid  out  in  this  direction,  so  did 
his  fortune  increase ;  and  from  being 
the  owner,  in  early  life,  of  a  single  farm, 
he  acquired  possessions  and  wealth,  the 
extent  of  which  has  perhaps  never  but 
once  been  equalled  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
in  all  human  probability  never  will  be 
by  any  one  man  again.  He  was  a  plain 
man — his  dress  and  deportment  were 
plain,  and  his  manners  free  from  Mu- 
teur.  In  his  directorship  of  the  Bank  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  which  he  was  a  large 
stockholder,  he  exhibited  much  preju- 
dice against  granting  discounts  and  ac- 
commodation to  the  rich  and  extensive 
operators,  preferring  the  humbler  me- 
chanics, tradesmen,  and  merchants. 


AbrataAm  and  Benjamin  Goldschmid, 
old  Sngrlish  Bankers. 

For  a  long  and  important  period, 
Abbaham  and  Benjamin  Goldschmid 
were  the  magnates  of  the  English  money 
market.  Of  singular  capacity,  and,  for 
a  time,  of  equally  singular  good  fortune, 
the  firm  of  which  they  were  the  members 
rose  from  comparative  obscurity  to  be 
the  head  and  front  of  the  financial  circle 
of  the  world's  metropolis.  They  were 
the  first  members  of  the  Stock  Exchange 
who  competed  with  the  bankers  for  the 
favors  of  the  chancellor,  and  diverted 
from  their  bloated  purses  those  profits 
which  were  scarcely  a  legitimate  por- 
tion of  banking  business.  The  combi- 
nation of  that  powerful  interest  being 
thus  broken  up,  the  bargains  for  pub- 
lic loans  became  more  open,  and  have 
continued  so. 

The  munificence  of  the  Goldschmids 
was  constant  and  wide  spread.  Natur- 
ally open  hearted,  the  poor  of  all  creeds 
found  kindly  benefactors  in  these  Jew 
capitalists.  On  one  day,  the  grandeur 
of  an  entertainment  given  by  them  to 
royalty  was  recorded  in  the  papers,  and 
on  the  next  a  few  words  related  a  visit 
of  mercy  on  their  part  to  a  condemned 
cell.  At  one  time,  their  mansion,  vying 
in  architectural  beauty  with  those  of 


regal  occupants,  was  described ;  at  an- 
other, some  great  and  gracious  act  of 
charity  was  narrated.  Entertainments 
to  princes  and  ambassadors,  reviving 
the  glories  of  oriental  splendor,  were 
frequent ;  and  galleries,  with  works  of 
art  worthy  the  magnificence  of  a  Medici, 
graced  their  homes.  They  seemed,  at 
least  for  a  while,  Fortune's  chief  and 
most  special  favorites.  When,  in  1793, 
the  old  aristocracy  of  England's  traders 
fell,  as  in  1847,  and  the  bank  in  one  day 
discounted  to  the  amount  of  more  than 
twenty  million  dollars,  the  losses  of  this 
great  firm  amounted  to  only  the  trivial 
sum  of  fifty  pounds  sterling.  Strange 
to  relate,  both  of  these  brothers  came 
to  their  death  by  violence  at  their  own 
hands. 


Judah.  U.  liOpez,  Speculator  in 
Annuities. 

The  name  of  Judah  Manasseh  Lo- 
pez is  handed  down  to  this  day,  in  Eng- 
land, as  that  of  a  Lombard  and  Jew 
of  "  the  baser  sort,"  and  a  usurer — one 
in  whose  business  dealings  the  art  of 
deception  seemed  to  have  fairly  culmi- 
nated. Of  the  origin  or  the  successive 
business  steps  in  the  career  of  this  man 
we  know  little.  His  business  consisted 
in  the  purchase  and  sale  of  annuities. 
He  lent  to  merchants  when  their  vessels 
failed  to  bring  them  returns  in  time  to 
meet  their  engagements ;  and  he  ad- 
vanced cash  on  the  jewels  of  those 
whom  a  disturbed  period  involved  in 
conspiracies  which  required  the  sinews 
of  war.  But  annuities  were  his  favor- 
ite investment ;  and  to  him,  therefore, 
resorted  all  who  were  in  difficulties  and 
were  able  to  deal  with  him.  With  the 
highest  and  the  lowest  he  trafficked. 
He  was  feared  by  most,  and  respected 
by  none. 

One  remarkable  feature  in  this  man's 
dealings  was,  that  no  one  found  it  easy 
to  recover  the  property  once  pledged, 
if  it  chanced  to  much  exceed  the  amount 
advanced.  In  an  extremity,  Bucking- 
ham, the  favorite  of  Charles,  applied 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


89 


to  and  received  assistance  from  the  Jew 
on  the  deposit  of  some  deeds  of  value. 
When  the  time  approached  for  repay- 
ment, Lopez  appeared  before  the  Duke 
in  an  agony  of  grief,  declaring  that  his 
strongroom  had  been  broken  into,  his 
property  pilfered,  and  the  Duke's  deeds 
carried  away.  But  Buckingham  had 
dealt  too  much  with  men  of  this  class 
to  believe  the  story  on  the  mere  word 
of  Lopez.  He  therefore  detained  the 
usurer  while  he  despatched  messengers 
to  the  city,  to  search  out  the  truth, 
placing  the  Hebrew  at  the  same  time 
under  watch  and  ward,  with  an  utter 
indifference  to  his  comfort. 

When  the  messengers  returned,  they 
avouched  that  all  Lombard  street  was 
in  an  uproar  at  the  violation  of  its 
stronghold.  Still  the  Duke  was  dis- 
satisfied, and  resolutely  refused  to  part 
with  his  prey  until  he  had  received 
full  value  for  his  deposit.  In  vain  did 
the  Hebrew  demurely  fall  on  his  knees 
— in  vain  did  he  call  on  Father  Abra- 
ham to  attest  his  innocence  ;  for,  in  the 
midst  of  one  of  his  most  solemn  assev- 
erations, Buckingham  was  informed 
that  a  scrivener  urgently  solicited  an 
audience,  and  he  saw  at  the  same  time 
that  a  cloud  came  over  the  face  of  Lo- 
pez. 

The  request  of  the  scrivener  being 
granted,  to  the  Duke's  astonishment  he 
produced  the  missing  document,  ex- 
plaining to  his  Grace  that  Lopez,  be- 
lieving the  scrivener  too  much  in  his 
power  to  betray  him,  had  placed  it  in 
his  charge  until  the  storm  should  blow 
over,  but  that,  fearing  the  Duke's  pow- 
er and  trusting  to  his  protection,  he  had 
brought  it  to  York  House.  On  the  in- 
stant, Buckingham  confronted  the  two. 
The  Jew's  countenance  betrayed  his 
crime,  and,  fawning  on  the  very  hem 
of  the  Duke's  garment,  he  begged  for 
forgiveness,  and  crouched  like  a  dog  to 
procure  it.  It  is  intimate^  that  from 
that  time  the  Duke  had  his  loans  on 
more  equitable  terms  and  on  smaller 
security,  as  he  dismissed  the  Jew  with 


a   courtesy   the   latter   did    not   de- 
serve. 


William  B.  Astor,  Milliozmaire,  of   * 
New  York. 

Prince  street,  New  York,  is  the  lo- 
cality of  Mr.  William  B.  Astoe's  finan- 
cial operations.  The  street  itself  is 
of  but  a  third-rate  character,  and  the 
houses  are  but  of  a  common  stamp. 
Near  Broadway,  however,  one  may  no- 
tice a  small  brick  office,  neatly  built, 
of  one  story,  with  gable  to  the  street, 
but  with  doors  and  windows  closed, 
and  the  whole  appearance  one  of  se- 
curity. Near  the  door  may  be  seen 
a  little  sign  which  reads  thus:    'En- 

TKANCE  NEXT  DOOR.   OFFICE  HOUBS 

FROM  9  TO  3."  This  "  next  door "  to 
which  we  are  referred  is  a  plain  three- 
story  brick  dwelling,  with  no  name  on 
the  door,  and  might  be  taken  for  the 
residence  of  some  well-to-do  old-fash- 
ioned family.  Hence  one  is  quite  star- 
tled to  find  that  this  is  the  headquarters 
of  the  chief  capitalist  of  America.  En- 
tering the  street  door,  one  will  find 
himself  in  a  small  vestibule,  neatly 
floored  with  checkered  oilcloth,  and 
opening  a  door  on  his  left,  he  will  enter 
a  well-lighted  front  room,  destitute  of 
any  furniture  but  a  counting-house  desk 
and  a  few  chairs.  At  this  desk  stands 
an  accountant  (or  perhaps  two)  working 
at  a  set  of  books,  and  evidently  enjoy- 
ing an  easy  berth.  He  will  answer  all 
ordinary  inquiries,  will  do  the  duty  of 
refusing  charitable  demands,  and  wiU 
attend  to  anything  in  the  ordinary  run 
of  business ;  but  if  one  has  anything 
special  on  hand,  he  wiU  point  to  a  door 
opening  into  a  rear  office.  This  apart- 
ment is  of  moderate  size  and  of  simple 
furniture.  On  the  table  are  a  few 
books,  and  on  opening  one  of  them, 
which  appears  well  thumbed,  it  wiU  be 
found  to  contain  maps  of  plots  of  city 
property,  carefully  and  elegantly  exe- 
cuted, and  embracing  the  boundaries 
of  an  enormous  estate.  Seated  by  the 
table  may  generally  be  seen  a  stout- 


40 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


built  man  with  large  and  unattractive 
features,  and  upon  the  whole  an  ordi- 
nary face.  He  is  plainly  dressed,  and 
has  a  somewhat  careworn  look,  and  ap- 
pears to  be  fifty  or  sixty  years  of  age. 
One  naturally  feels — that  is,  if  he  be  a 
poor  man — that  it  is  quite  a  rare  thing 
to  address  a  capitalist,  and  especially 
when  that  capitalist  is  the  representa- 
tive, say  of  twenty-five  millions  of  dol- 
lars. His  daily  income  has  been  esti- 
mated at  six  thousand  dollars  ! 

The  care  of  Mr.  Astor's  estate — the 
largest  in  America — is  a  vast  burden. 
His  tenements,  of  all  grades,  number 
several  hundreds,  ranging  from  the 
dwelling  at  three  hundred  dollars  per 
annum,  to  the  magnificent  warehouse 
or  hotel  at  thirty  thousand  dollars.  To 
relieve  himself  from  the  more  vexatious 
features  of  his  business,  he  has  com- 
mitted his  real  estate  collections  to  an 
agent,  who  does  the  work  well,  and 
who  is,  no  doubt,  largely  paid.  He, 
with  his  clerks,  collects  rents,  and 
makes  returns  of  a  rent  roll  whose  very 
recital  would  be  wearisome.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  such  a  man  must  employ 
a  small  army  of  painters,  carpenters,  and 
other  mechanics,  in  order  to  keep  up 
suitable  repairs ;  and  as  Mr.  Astor  pays 
no  insurance,  the  work  of  rebuilding 
after  fires  is  in  itself  a  large  item.  A 
large  part  of  Mr.  Astor's  property  con- 
sists of  vacant  lots,  which  are  in  con- 
tinual demand,  and  which  he  generally 
prefers  to  hold  rather  than  sell ;  hence 
he  is  much  employed  with  architects 
and  master  builders,  and  always  has 
several  blocks  in  course  of  erection. 
This  is  a  very  heavy  burden,  and,  were 
it  not  for  the  help  derived  from  his 
family,  would,  doubtless,  crush  him. 
His  son,  John  Jacob,  is  quite  a  busi- 
ness man,  and  bears  his  share  of  the 
load.  In  addition  to  this,  Mr.  Astor 
has  the  aid  of  a  gentleman  of  business 
habits  and  character,  once  a  member 
of  one  of  the  largest  shipping  houses  in 
New  York,  who  has  become  connected 
with  the  family  by  marriage.    The  la- 


bors of  all  these  parties  cannot  be  more 
than  adequate  to  the  requirements  of  so 
enormous  a  property. 


O.  E.  Garrison,  Merchant,  of  San 
•'.  ~  Francisco. 

The  financial  and  public  position  at- 
tained by  Mr.  Garrison,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, so  well  known  as  one  of  the 
mayors  and  leading  merchants  of  that 
city,  was  due  to  his  own  perseverance, 
exhibited  in  a  manner  and  to  a  degree 
rarely  witnessed  even  in  American  mer- 
cantile character.  Originating  in  New 
York,  near  West  Point,  his  ancestors 
were  among  the  regular  "  Knickerbock- 
ers "  of  that  region — the  Coverts,  Kings- 
lands,  Schuylers,  and  others.  The  par 
terfamilias  was  at  one  time  considered 
quite  wealthy,  but  from  heavy  indorse- 
ments he  became  involved  at  an  early 
period  in  the  life  of  the  subject  now 
under  notice.  The  latter,  having  to 
look  to  his  own  resources,  left  home  at 
the  age  of  thirteen,  in  the  capacity  of 
a  cabin  boy  in  a  sloop.  It  was  not, 
however,  without  great  difficulty,  that 
young  Garrison  obtained  from  his  pa- 
rents their  consent  that  he  might  leave 
their  home,  and  accept  the  situation 
he  sought.  "  What,"  said  his  mother, 
with  characteristic  feminine  perception, 
"  would  the  Van  Buskirks,  the  Kings- 
lands,  the  Schuylers,  the  host  of  other 
respectable  relatives,  the  thousand  and 
one  cousins,  &c.,  &c.,  say,  if  it  reached 
their  ears  that  my  son  was  a  cabin 
boy  ? "  From  this  small  beginning  he 
worked  his  way  up,  until  he  finally 
found  himself  in  California,  where, 
shortly  after,  on  account  of  his  great 
business  tact,  he  was  offered  the  Nica- 
ragua Steamship  Company  agency,  at  a 
salary  of  $60,000  a  year,  for  two  years 
certain.  In  addition  to  this  appoint- 
ment, he  received  at  the  same  time  the 
agency  of  two  insurance  companies,  at 
a  salary  of  $25,000  per  annum.  At  the 
age  of  forty-five,  he  found  himself  the 
possessor  of  a  princely  fortune ;  with 
a  salary  three  or  four  times  greater 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


41 


than  that  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States ;  with  a  revenue  besides,  from 
other  sources,  of  as  much  more ;  and 
occupying  the  position  of  Mayor  of  the 
city  of  San  Francisco.  Thi9,jia8nccess 
that  rarely  falls  to  the  lot  ^%ose, 
even,  who  are  what  may  be  called  the 
"  successful "  ones  in  commercial  life. 


William  Hog'gr,  the  Pennsylvania 
Millionnaire. 

More  than  seventy  years  ago,  Wil- 
liam Hogg — who  died  at  his  residence 
in  Brownsville,  Pa.,  leaving  an  estate 
of  more  than  a  million  dollars — crossed 
the  Alleghany  mountains  with  a  small 
pack  of  goods,  all  he  possessed,  and 
which  he  bore  upon  his  own  back,  and 
established  himself  at  Brownsville,  then 
called  Red  Stone.  He  soon  after  open- 
ed a  small  store,  the  first  in  that  region 
of  country,  oh  the  Monongahela  river, 
transporting  his  goods  from  Phila- 
delphia by  means  of  packhorses,  and 
increasing  his  stock,  from  time  to  time, 
until  he  became  the  wealthiest  mer- 
chant in  Western  Pennsylvania — a 
rank  which  he  prominently  occupied 
in  the  latter  period  of  his  life.  He  was 
remarkable  for  his  accurate  habits  of 
business,  his  persevering  and  indefati- 
gable application,  and  his  great  sa- 
gacity in  the  management  of  his  nu- 
merous and  extensive  establishments. 
Whether  worth  one  dollar  only,  or  a 
million,  he  held  that  frugality  was  the 
same  virtue,  and  rigidly  lived  up  to 

this  principle. 

» 

Herodotus  a  Merchant. 
The  opinion — equally  ingenious  and 
probable — is  advanced  by  Malte  Brup, 
that  the  great  father  of  history  and 
geogi'aphy,  Herodotus,  was  a  mer- 
chant. "  At  least,"  says  he,  "  this  suppo- 
sition affords  the  most  natural  solution 
of  his  long  voyages  and  numerous  con- 
nections with  nations  by  no  means 
friendly  to  the  Greeks."  His  silence  re- 
specting commerce  is  presumed  to  have 
arisen  from  the  same  motives  which  in- 


duced the  Carthaginians  to  throw  every 
voyager  into  the  sea  who  approached 
Sardinia,  lest  the  sources  of  their  com- 
merce and  riches  should  be  discovered. 


Jeejeebhoy  Dadabhoy,  Farsee  Banker 
and  Merchant. 

Jeejeebhoy  Dadabhoy,  of  Bombay, 
was  a  Parsee  banker,  merchant,  agent, 
and  broker,  for  more  than  forty  years, 
and  sustained  important  business  rela- 
tions to  many  European  mercantile 
houses.  So^  extensive  were  his  transac- 
tions, that  his  name  was  well  known  in 
all  the  commefciar'iSwns  of  England, 
Scotland,  France,  Germany,  Austria, 
Egypt,  India,  China,  Mauritius,  «S5C. 
A  few  years  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1849,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
four  years,  he  retired  from  the  firm  of 
Messrs.  Jeejeebhoy  Dadabhoy,  Sons  & 
Co.,  but  left  his  name  by  associating 
his  sons,  who  have  since  carried  on  the 
business,  the  firm  ranking  among  the 
first  Parsee  commercial  houses  in  India. 

Jeejeebhoy  Dadabhoy  was  one  of  the 
most  active  among  the  native  capi- 
talists in  the  establishment  of  the  va- 
rious banks  in  Bombay ;  and  he  served 
his  time  as  director  respectively  in  the 
Oriental  and  Commercial  Banks.  To 
him  and  to  Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy 
the  people  of  Western  India  are  in- 
debted for  the  introduction  of  steam 
navigation  for  commercial  and  passen- 
ger traffic — the  first,  and  by  far  the  best 
paying  of  these  steamers  having  been 
built  by  them.  Jeejeebhoy  Dadabhoy, 
the  manager  of  this  company,  so  judi- 
ciously conducted  the  business,  that 
in  the  course  of  six  years  he  divided 
profits  amounting  to  nearly  the  out- 
lay. 

He  shared,  indeed,  in  every  enterprise 
which  promised  to  promote  public 
advantage,  however  little  his  personal 
interests  might  be  benefited.  Among 
the  commercial  joint-stock  companies, 
he  was  a  large  shareholder  in  the  fol- 
lowing :  the  Railway  Companies,  Cot- 
ton Screw  Companies,  Steam  Naviga- 


42 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


tion  Company,  Colaba  Land  and  Cot- 
ton Companies,  most  of  the  Bombay- 
Marine  and  Life  Insurance  Companies, 
the  Bengal  India  General  Steam  Navi- 
gation Company,  several  Calcutta  In- 
surance Companies,  &c.  His  capital 
was  likewise  engaged  in  advances  on 
coffee,  sugar,  &c.,  «&c. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Parsee  Punchayet,  a  po- 
sition which  frequently  imposed  im- 
portant duties  upon  him  for  the  gen- 
eral benefit  of  the  Parsee  community. 
He  was  also  constantly  called  upon  to 
arbitrate  and  settle  matters  in  dispute 
between  members  of  his  caste,  and  his 
straightforward  judgment  invariably 
gained  for  him  the  esteem  of  those  who 
had  submitted  their  difficulties  to  his 
decision. 

In  matters  of  charity  his  purse  was 
always  open  to  the  poor  of  his  com- 
munity. His  name  was  likewise  to  be 
found  on  almost  all  the  lists  of  public 
subscriptions  and  private  charities,  both 
European  and  native.  At  the  time  of 
his  death,  forty-two  schools,  in  various 
parts  of  the  Bombay  Presidency,  were 
wholly  supported  by  his  bounty. 

He  left  a  widow,  foiur  sons,  three 
daughters,  twenty-one  grandchildren, 
and  six  great-grandchildren,  to  whom 
he  bequeathed  immense  wealth.  He 
likewise,  by  his  wOl,  left  one  himdred 
thousand  dollars,  to  be  invested  in  Gov- 
ernment securities  in  the  names  of  eight 
trustees,  four  of  these  being  his  sons, 
the  interest  of  this  amoimt  to  be  an- 
nually divided  in  charities  for  the  re- 
lief of  the  suffering  of  his  caste. 


Abbott  liawrence,  Herchant,  of 
Boston. 

Abbott  Lawrence,  one  of  the  most 
eminent  of  American  merchants,  was 
bom  in  Groton,  Mass.,  in  1792.  His 
ancestors  were  people  in  humble  cir- 
cumstances, who  had  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years  been  settled  in  Groton 
as  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and  his  father. 
Major  Samuel  Lawrence,  served  with 


credit  in  Prescott's  regiment  at  Bunker 
Hill,  and  in  many  of  the  severest  bat- 
tles of  the  war  of  Independence.  For 
a  brief  period  in  his  boyhood,  he  at- 
tended the  district  school  and  the  acad- 
emy at  Groton,  and  in  his  sixteenth  year 
went  to  Boston,  with  less  than  three 
dollars  in  his  pocket,  and  was  bound 
an  apprentice  to  his  brother  Amos, 
then  recently  established  there  in  busi- 
ness. In  1814  he  became  one  of  the 
firm  of  A.  &  A.  Lawrence,  which  for 
many  years  conducted  a  prosperous 
business  in  the  sale  of  foreign  cotton 
and  woollen  goods  on  commission.  Sub- 
sequently to  1830,  they  were  largely  in- 
terested as  selling  agents  for  the  manu- 
facturing companies  of  Lpwell ;  and,  in 
the  latter  part  of  his  life,  Abbott  Law- 
rence participated  extensively  in  the 
China  trade. 

In  addition  to  his  business  pursuits, 
Mr.  Lawrence  took  a  deep  interest  in 
all  matters  of  public  concern,  and  was 
at  an  early  period  of  his  career  a  zeal- 
ous advocate  of  the  protective  system. 
In  1834,  he  was  elected  a  representative 
in  the  twenty-fourth  Congress,  and  was 
there  a  member  of  the  important  com- 
mittee of  ways  and  means.  He  also 
served  for  a  brief  period  in  1839-40. 
In  1842,  he  was  appointed  a  commis- 
sioner, on  the  part  of  Massachusetts,  on 
the  subject  of  the  northeastern  boun- 
dary, in  the  discharge  of  which  trust 
he  rendered  the  most  important  ser- 
vice. In  the  Whig  Nominating  Con- 
vention of  1848,  he  was  a  prominent 
candidate  for  Vice-President  of  the 
United  States,  lacking  but  six  votes  of 
a  nomination — the  choice  falling  upon 
]|^r.  Fillmore.  On  the  accession  of  Gen- 
eral Taylor,  whose  election  Mr.  Law- 
rence had  zealously  advocated,  a  seat  in 
the  cabinet  was  offered  to  Mr.  Law- 
rence, but  declined  by  him.  He  was 
subsequently  appointed  the  representa- 
tive of  the  United  States  at  the  court 
of  Great  Britain,  a  position  which  he 
occupied  with  credit  until  October, 
1852,  when  he  was  recalled  at  his  owu 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


48 


request.    The  remainder  of  his  life  was 
devoted  to  his  private  business. 

The  benefactions  of  Mr.  Lawrence, 
for  private  and  public  purposes,  were 
numerous  and  wisely  bestowed,  al- 
though, from  the  nature  of  the  circum- 
stances under  which  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  was  passed,  the  amount  can- 
not, as  in  his  brother  Amos's  case,  be 
accurately  estimated.  In  1847,  he  gave 
to  Harvard  University  fifty  thousand 
dollars  to  found  the  Scientific  School, 
bearmg  his  name,  connected  with  that 
institution ;  and  he  bequeathed  a  like 
sum  in  aid  of  the  same  object.  He  left 
a  further  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  model  lodg- 
ing houses,  the  income  of  the  rents  to 
be  forever  applied  to  certain  public 
charities.  He  was  greatly  esteemed  in 
private  life  for  his  benevolence  of  dis- 
position and  genial  manners,  and  in  his 
public  relations  commanded  the  respect 
of  all  parties.  Mr.  Lawrence  died  in 
Boston,  August  18th,  1855. 


Jacob  Barker,  Merchant,  of  New 
Orleans. 

Mr.  Baeker  is  descended  from  the 
same  stock  as  Dr.  Franklin,  to  whom 
he  is  proud  to  claim  a  certain  family 
resemblance — and  certainly  in  some  of 
their'  personal  characteristics  there  is  a 
striking  identity.  He  was  brought  up 
in  the  Quaker  communion,  to  which, 
and  to  their  unpretending  costume,  he 
long  adhered. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  adrift 
in  the  world,  and  came  to  New  York, 
where  he  got  employment  with  Isaac 
Hicks,  a  commission  merchant,  and, 
beginning  the  trade  on  his  own  ac- 
count, in  a  small  way,  Tyefore  M»  major- 
ity was  in  possession  of  four  ships  and 
a  brig,  and  had  his  notes  regularly  dis- 
counted at  the  United  States  Bank. 
Sitting  at  his  wedding  dinner,  August 
27th,  1801  (he  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Hazard,  of  New 
York),  with  Mr.  Henry  Dewees,  for 
whom  he  had  heavily  indorsed,  news 


was  brought  him  of  the  ruin  of  them 
both ;  he  passed  the  letter  over  to  Mr, 
Dewees,  drank  wine  with  him,  and  took 
no  further  notice  of  the  matter. 

For  some  transactions  concerning 
the  North  River  Bank,  Mr.  Barker  was 
once  openly  insulted  by  one  David 
Rogers,  to  whom  he  sent  a  note  de- 
manding an  explanation.  No  explana- 
tion came,  but  in  place  of  it  an  indict- 
ment by  the  grand  jury  for  sending  a 
challenge.  Mr.  Barker  defended  him- 
self with  infinite  subtlety  on  the  trial, 
denying  the  fact  of  the  challenge  ;  but 
the  jury  would  not  be  persuaded,  nor 
the  judges  afterward,  when  he  argued 
the  question  of  law,  and  he  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  disfranchised  of  his  politi- 
cal rights — from  which  sentence  he  was 
relieved  by  Governor  Clinton.  But  at 
length,  on  the  failure  of  the  Life  and 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  he  was  in- 
dicted, with  others,  for  conspiracy  to 
defraud.  The  trial  was  long,  the  coun- 
sel wanted  time  to  look  over  their 
notes,  and  it  was  suggested  that  Mr. 
Barker  should  begin  his  defence.  He 
had  no  brief,  and  had  taken  no  notes, 
but  professed  his  readiness.  "  Yes," 
said  Mr.  Emmet,  "  if  they  were  all  to 
be  hanged,  Mr.  Barker  would  say,  hang 
me  first ! "  His  defence  was  a  prodigy 
of  ability.  At  the  first  trial  the  jury 
disagreed,  on  the  second  he  was  con- 
victed, but  a  new  trial  granted.  After 
the  third  the  indictment  was  quashed. 

Some  years  since  he  appeared  in  his 
own  defence  in  a  suit  brought  in  New 
Orleans,  and  obtained  a  verdict  after  a 
long  personal  address  to  the  jury,  which 
is  said  to  have  made  a  most  vivid  im- 
pression both  upon  them  and  a  numer- 
ous auditory.  In  reciting  the  chequer- 
ed history  of  his  life — ^his  unrivalled 
commercial  enterprise, — "  that  the  can- 
vas of  his  ships  had  whitened  every 
sea,  and  that  the  star-spangled  banner 
of  his  country  had  floated  from  the 
mast  head  of  his  ships  in  every  clime," 
— his  aid  in  procuring  a  loan  of  five 
million  dollars  for  the  Government  du- 


44 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


ring  the  last  war  with  England — ^he 
said  he  came  to  New  Orleans  poor,  and 
in  debt,  that  he  had  since  made  a  great 
deal  of  money,  and  spent  it  in  the  sup- 
port of  his  family  and  the  payment  of 
his  debts  outstanding  in  New  York; 
that  all  those  debts  were  now  settled,  as 
was  proved,  and  that  he  owed  nothing 
in  the  world  at  present  but  one  account 
(on  a  note,  he  believed)  of  about  a 
thousand  dollars. 

During  the  war,  Nantucket  was  in 
want  of  supplies  :  Mr.  Barker  purchased 
the  New  York  pilot  boat  Champlain, 
and  caused  her  to  be  landed  at  Nor- 
folk with  flour,  and  despatched  for  that 
place.  When  near  the  island  a  heavy 
fog  set  in ;  when  it  cleared  away  she 
was  within  a  half  gimshot  of  a  British 
seventy-four,  captured,  and  vessel  and 

cargo  lost. 

t — 

Alexander  Fordyce,  the  Shark  of  the 
Exchangre. 

The  career  of  this  notorious  broker 
— one  of  the  shrewdest  ever  known  on 
the  roll  of  British  financiers — furnishes 
a  dark  phase  in  the  dealings  of  the  ex- 
change. Bred  a  hosier  at  Aberdeen, 
he  found  the  North  too  confined  for 
such  operations  as  he  hoped  at  some 
future  day  to  engage  in ;  and,  repair- 
ing to  London,  as  the  only  place  worthy 
of  his  genius,  obtained  employment  as 
clerk  to  a  city  banking  house. 

Here  he  displayed  great  facility  for 
figures,  with  great  attention  to  busi- 
ness, and  rose  to  the  post  of  jvmior  part- 
ner in  the  firm  of  Roffey,  Neale  & 
Jaines.  Scarcely  was  he  thus  estab- 
lished, ere  he  began  to  speculate,  and 
generally  with  marked  good  fortune — 
and,  thinking  his  good  luck  would  be 
perpetual,  ventured  for  sums  which  in- 
volved his  own  character  and  his  part- 
ners' fortune.  The  game  was  with  him ; 
the  funds  were  constantly  on  the  rise  ; 
and,  fortunate  as  daring,  he  was  en- 
abled to  purchase  a  large  estate,  to  sup- 
port a  grand  appearance,  to  surpass 
nabobs  in  extravagance,  and  parvenui 


in  folly.  He  marked  "  the  marble  with 
his  name,"  upon  a  church  which  he  os- 
tentatiously built.  His  ambition  vied 
with  his  extravagance,  and  his  extrava- 
gance rivalled  his  ambition.  The  Aber- 
deen hosier  spent  thousands  of  pounds 
in  attempting  to  become  a  titled  mag- 
nate, and  openly  avowed  his  hope  of 
dying  a  peer.  He  married  a  woman  of 
title ;  made  a  fine  settlement  on  her 
ladyship ;  purchased  estates  in  Scot- 
land at  a  fancy  value  ;  buUt  a  hospital ; 
and  founded  charities  in  the  place  of 
which  he  hoped  to  become  the  repre- 
sentative. 

But  a  change  came  over  his  fortunes. 
Some  political  events  first  gave  him  a 
shake ;  then  another  blow  followed, 
and  he  had  recourse  to  his  partners' 
private  funds  to  supply  his  deficiencies. 
On  being  smartly  remonstrated  with,  a 
cool  and  insolent  contempt  for  their 
opinion,  coupled  with  the  remark  that 
he  was  quite  disposed  to  leave  them  to 
manage  a  concern  to  which  they  were 
utterly  incompetent,  startled  them ;  and 
when,  with  a  cunning  which  provided 
for  everything,  an  enormous  amount  of 
bank  notes,  which  Fordyce  had  borrow- 
ed for  the  purpose,  was  shown  them, 
their  faith  in  his  genius  returned  with 
the  possession  of  the  magic  paper — ^it 
being  somewhat  doubtful  whethdi*  the 
plausibility  of  his  manner  or  the  agree- 
able rustle  of  the  notes  decided  them. 

HI  fortune,  however,  stiU  continued 
to  cast  its  gaunt  shadow  on  Mr.  For- 
dyce's  track — the  price  of  the  funds 
would  not  yield  to  his  fine  combina- 
tions and  plans.  But  with  all  his  great 
and  continued  losses,  he  retained  to  the 
last  hour  a  cool  and  calm  self-posses- 
sion. Utter  bankruptcy  finally  follow- 
ed, and  the  public  feeling  was  so  vio- 
lent, as  he  detailed  the  tissue  of  his  un- 
surpassed fraud  and  folly,  that  it  was 
necessary  to  guard  him  from  the  popu- 
lace. He  broke  half  the  commercial 
town.  Two  gentlemen,  ruined  by  the 
broker's  extravagance,  shot  themselves 
dead,  and  many  of  the  wealthiest  fami- 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


46 


lies  were  beggared.  Nor  is  this  sur- 
prising, when  it  is  known  that  bills  to 
the  amount  of  twenty  millions  of  dollars 
were  in  circulation,  with  the  name  of 
Fordyce  attached  to  them — a  name  still 
synonymous  with  that  of  "  the  Shark 
of  the  Exchange." 


Nicholas  Lon^worth,  Uillionnaixe,  of 
Cincinnati. 
Nicholas  Longworth,  who  recently 
died  in  Cincinnati,  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
^  ty  years,  was  bom  in  Newark,  N.  J., 
in  the  year  1783,  and  was  brought  up 
to  the  shoemaking  business  in  his  early 
life.  His  father,  having  been  reduced 
to  poverty,  became  a  shoemaker,  and 
had  all  his  children  educated  to  follow 
trades.  It  was  intended  that  Nicholas 
should  obtain  his  living  as  a  regular 
shoemaker ;  but  at  an  early  age  he  im- 
proved the  opportunity  oflfered  him  of 
going  to  the  South  with  a  brother,  and 
became  a  clerk  in  the  latter's  store  in 
Savannah.  After  being  in  mercantile 
business  at  the  South  about  two  and 
a  half  years,  he  removed  in  1804  to 
Cincinnati,  then  only  a  scattered  and 
sparsely  populated  village  of  about 
seven  hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants, 
adjoining  to  Fort  Washington,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio,  where  the  Federal 
Government  maintained  a  garrison,  the 
expenditure  of  which  at  that  and  earlier 
periods  formed  no  small  share  of  the 
business  of  Cincinnati. 

The  beginning  of  Mr.  Longworth's 
career  in  Cincinnati  was  a  very  curious 
one.  He  commenced  the  study  of  the 
law,  under  Judge  Burnett,  an  eminent 
lawyer,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
advance  of  the  ordinary  period.  Until 
1819,  he  followed  the  law  as  his  profes- 
sion. Meantime  he  had  married  a  wid- 
ow of  some  means,  and  had  devoted 
himself  to  speculations  in  lots,  foresee- 
ing that  the  value  of  real  estate  must 
enhance  immensely.  In  this  way  he 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  gigantic  for- 
tune. At  that  time,  property  was  at  a 
very  low  valuation,  and  many  of  Long- 


worth's  lots  cost  him  no  more  than  ten 
dollars  each,  which  in  a  few  years  mul- 
tiplied in  value  a  hundredfold.  His 
property  increased  so  rapidly  that  in 
1850  his  taxes  rated  higher,  perhaps, 
than  those  of  any  other  man  in  the 
United  States  except  WUliam  B.  Astor, 
the  taxes  of  the  latter  amounting  to 
some  twenty-three  thousand,  while 
those  of  Longworth  were  over  seven- 
teen thousand.  The  ground  occupied 
by  the  celebrated  Observatory  of  Cin- 
cinnati was  a  free  gift  from  Mr.  Long- 
worth.  He  donated  four  acres  of  his 
land  on  Mount  Adams  for  that  purpose. 

Mr.  Longworth  devoted  much  of  his 
time  to  agriculture  and  horticulture — 
the  grape  and  the  strawberry  especially. 
Every  one  has  heard  of  his  Catawba 
wine,  both  still  and  sparkling  cham- 
pagne. Indeed,  Nicholas  Longworth, 
Esq.,  the  "  fifteen  millionnaire,"  is  not 
half  so  well  known  as  "  old  Nick  Long- 
worth,"  who  did  so  much  for  the  cul- 
ture of  the  Catawba  and  Isabella  grape 
in  the  Ohio  valley.  His  gardens  and 
hothouses  abounded  in  the  rarest  ex- 
otics, and  were  freely  accessible  to  visi- 
tors who  wished  to  enjoy  them,  and,  if 
his  gardeners  were  not  on  hand  to  point 
out  their  beauties,  it  is  very  probable 
that  Nicholas  Longworth  himself  would 
perform  the  part  of  chaperon.  Mr. 
Longworth  was  a  ready  writer,  full  of 
wit,  humor,  and  sarcasm. 

Mr.  Longworth  had  four  children — 
three  daughters  and  one  son.  One  of 
the  daughters  married  Larz  Anderson, 
of  Cincinnati,  brother  of  the  hero  of 
Fort  Sumter,  a  prominent  lawyer.  The 
wealth  of  which  Mr.  Longworth  died 
possessed  is  put  down  at  fifteen  mil- 
lions ;  but  it  is  probable  that  it  may  be 
quoted  at  a  much  higher  figure.  His 
city  lots  alone  would  probably  amount 
to  that  sum.  The  value  of  his  prop- 
erty in  the  suburbs  of  Cincinnati  and 
the  difierent  counties  of  Western  Ohio, 
from  Hamilton  county  to  Sandusky, 
would  perhaps  swell  his  estate  to  twen- 
ty millions. 


46 


COMMERCIAL  AXD  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


John  Overend,  the  Pioneer  Bill  Broker 
of  London. 

John  Overend's  name  stood,  for  a 
long  time,  at  the  head  of  the  most  an- 
cient as  well  as  extensive  and  renown- 
ed biQ-brokering  establishment  in  the 
world.  Bill  brokering  in  its  present 
form  was  commenced  about  half  a  cen- 
tury ago.  This  house — Overend  &  Co. 
— so  well  known  in  Europe  and  Ameri- 
ca, was  formed  iu  the  year  1807,  under 
the  firm  of  Richardson,  Overend  &  Co. 
The  partners  were  Thomas  Richardson, 
a  clerk  in  the  banking  house  of  Smith, 
Wright  &  Gray ;  John  Overend,  a  clerk 
to  a  woollen  dealer  ;  and  Samuel  Gur- 
ney,  then  twenty-one  years  of  age,  the 
second  son  of  Mr.  John  Gumey,  a  part- 
ner in  the  Norwich  Bank.  This  bank 
was  established  in  1770,  by  Henry 
Gumey,  who  was  succeeded  by  his 
son,  Bartlett  Gumey,  and  the  latter,  in 
1803,  took  into  partnership  his  cousin, 
John  Gurney,  and  several  other  mem- 
bers of  his  family.  Mr.  John  Gumey 
had  previously  been  a  woolstapler  and 
spinner  of  worsted  yam.  In  this  char- 
acter he  was  acquainted  with  Mr.  Joseph 
Smith,  who  was  extensively  connected 
with  the  trade  of  Norwich,  and  was  en- 
gaged by  the  Norwich  Bank  to  employ 
their  surplus  funds  in  discounting  bills 
for  his  numerous  connections.  This 
business  became  so  extensive  that,  upon 
the  suggestion  of  John  Overend,  a  firm 
was  established  expressly  for  the  pur- 
pose of  carrying  it  on,  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  Norwich  Bank.  Mr. 
Samuel  Gurney  had,  for  three  years 
previously,  been  a  clerk  to  Mr.  Fry, 
who  had  married  Mr.  Gumey's  sister, 
the  celebrated  Elizabeth  Fry.  After 
the  death  or  retirement  of  Mr.  Richard- 
son, the  firm  was  Overend  «fc  Co.  On 
the  death  of  Mr.  Overend,  Samuel 
Gumey  became  the  senior  partner,  un- 
til his  death  in  1856,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  David  Barclay  Chapman. 
The  second  house  of  this  kind,  in  point 
of  time,  was  that  of  Messrs.  Sanderson 
&  Co.    The  house  of  Alexander  &  Co. 


has  also  long  been  eminent  in  the  same 
kind  of  business  founded  by  Overend. 


"  Old  Mr.  Denison,"  of  St.  Mary  Aate. 

"  Old  Mb.  Denison,"  as  he  was 
called  by  every  one,  for  more  than  a 
generation,  belonged  to  the  primitive 
school  of  English  bankers,  who  made 
his  own  fortune,  and  was  remarkable 
for  his  economy  and  strict  attention  to 
business.  He  lived  for  years  at  his 
banking  house  in  "  St.  Mary  Axe,"  and 
was  so  provident  as  to  go  to  market 
daily,  basket  in  hand,  for  his  family. 
But  if  he  thus  looked  closely  after 
small  matters,  it  was  because  he  held 
everything  subservient  to  one  great 
one — his  bank  and  the  accumulation 
of  capital.  Like  many  men  who  have 
a  turn  for  economy,  he  was  fond  of 
boasting  of  the  bargains  he  had  bought. 
There  has  also  been  many  a  chronicle 
rehearsed  of  the  trouble  it  used  to  give 
to  the  old  gentleman  to  provide  good 
things  cheap,  when  his  son,  the  present 
distinguished  banker  and  political  nota- 
bility, entertained  his  west-end  friends 
at  dinner.  For,  with  the  honorable 
pride  so  frequently  observed  among 
Scotchmen,  "  old  Mr.  Denison "  not 
only  took  care  that  his  son's  education 
should  be  excellent,  but  gave  him  a 
very  fair  encouragement  to  gain  a  foot- 
ing in  the  best  society — in  which,  too, 
he  was  as  successful  as  he  could  have 
wished.  He  left  a  large  property, 
which  has  been  increased  by  his  son, 
one  of  the  richest  London  bankers — 
being  commonly  rated  at  three  millions 
sterling — the  greater  part  of  v/hich  is 
always  kept  available  for  business  pur- 
poses. 

I 

Lorillard,  the  New  Tork  Tobacconist. 
The  name  of  Loeillard  looms  up 
very  prominently  in  the  annals  of 
American  mercantile  biography,  and 
few  of  the  solid  merchants  of  New  York 
show  a  more  honorable  record  of  per- 
sonal worth  and  financial  success.    It 


EARLY   CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


47 


was  one  of  Mr.  Lorillard's  favorite  re- 
marks, and  well  deserving  of  note,  that 
his  prosperity  arose  from  his  not  having 
made  haste  to  le  rich.  He  entered  upon 
business  with  a  capital  of  a  thousand 
dollars,  increased  by  a  loan  from  his 
brothers  of  double  that  amount ;  and 
from  the  skill,  the  foresight,  and  the 
diligence  with  which  his  business  was 
conducted,  and  from  some  adventitious 
advantages,  his  own  part  of  it  was  even- 
tually multiplied  more  than  a  thousand- 
fold. "  Lorillard,  the  New  York  To- 
bacconist," became,  in  course  of  time,  a 
name  widely  known  in  both  hemi- 
spheres, nor  has  it  yet  lost  its  prestige. 

Simple  in  all  his  tastes  and  habits, 
well  regulated  in  all  his  affections  and 
desires,  free  from  vanity,  ostentation, 
and  pride,  he  had  no  extravagant  long- 
ings, either  to  urge  him  on  in  the  eager 
pursuit  of  wealth,  or  to  make  him 
squander,  in  prodigality,  the  fruits  of 
iniquity  and  fraud.  Instead,  therefore, 
of  unduly  extending  his  business,  and, 
in  haste  to  enrich  himself,  careless 
about  the  interests  and  claims  of 
others;  instead  of  running  out  into 
wild  and  visionary  schemes,  which  are 
usually  so  tempting  to  the  cupidity  of 
business  men,  and  staking  the  laborious 
acquisitions  of  a  life  upon  the  chances 
of  a  day,  Mr,  Lorillard  was  contented 
to  follow  the  prudent  methods  of  better 
times,  to  avoid  imnecessary  anxiety  for 
the  future,  to  keep  innocency,  and  take 
heed  to  the  thing  that  was  right  in  re- 
gard to  his  neighbor. 

Whenever,  therefore,  the  profits  of 
his  business  were  not  needed  for  the 
enlargement  of  his  capital,  he  was  in 
the  habit  of  investing  them  in  real  es- 
tate, selected  very  often  in  obscure  and 
retired  places,  which  would  be  imat- 
tractive  to  the  mere  speculator,  and 
with  greater  regard  to  the  security  of 
the  property  than  the  immediate  pros- 
pect of  gain.  But,  in  most  cases,  this 
very  moderation  and  prudence  turned 
to  a  better  account  than  the  grasping 
calculations  of  avarice  itself — his  own 


possessions  increasing  in  value,  securely 
and  steadily,  while  those  of  others  were 
often  swept  away  by  their  extravagance 
and  folly. 


John  Jacob  Astor,  Kicliest  Merchant 
of  America. 

Mr.  AsTOB  was  bom  near  the  ancient 
city  of  Heidelberg,  Germany,  in  the 
year  1763,  andliis  history  embodies  an  in- 
valuable moral  for  merchants  generally, 
and  for  young  men  in  particular.  His 
parents  moved  in  humble  life.  He  came 
to  this  country  when  about  nineteen 
years  of  age,  at  which  time  the  State 
of  New  York  was  mostly  a  wilderness. 
He  made  frequent  excursions  up  the 
Mohawk  river,  to  traffic  with  the  In- 
dians for  furs,  and  gradually  enlarged 
his  business  as  his  means  increased. 
After  a  while,  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany was  formed,  and  he  became  a  com- 
petitor with  the  great  capitalists  of  Eu- 
rope, who  controlled  the  Northwestern 
and  Canadian  Fur  Companies.  Such 
was  his  enterprise,  that  he  extended 
his  business  to  the  mouth  of  the  As- 
toria river,  and  formed  the  first  fur 
establishment  then  known  as  Astoria. 
For  many  years  previous  to  the  war  of 
1813,  and  subsequently,  Mr.  Astor  was 
extensively  engaged  in  the  Canton 
trade,  and  during  the  war  was  fortu- 
nate in  having  several  of  his  ships  ar- 
rive here  with  valuable  cargoes.  The 
profits  on  these  were  enormous.  Mr. 
Astor  made  large  investments  in  Gov- 
ernment stocks,  which  he  purchased 
during  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  at 
sixty  or  seventy  cents  on  the  dollar,  and 
which,  after  the  peace,  went  up  to 
twenty  per  cent,  above  par.  On  his 
death,  most  of  his  estate  went  to  Mr. 
William  B.  Astor,  his  son,  and  consist- 
ing in  a  great  measure  of  property  not 
subject  to  regular  appraisal,  the  esti- 
mates of  its  value  have  been  very  va- 
rious. During  the  whole  of  his  pro- 
tracted business  career,  Mr.  Astor  was 
noted  for  persevering  industry,  rigid 
economy,  and  strict  integrity.    He  had 


48 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS.  ANECDOTES. 


a  genius  bold,  fertile,  and  expansive ; 
a  sagacity  quick  to  grasp  and  convert 
a  circumstance  to  the  highest  advan- 
tage ;  and  a  singular  and  never-waver- 
ing confidence  of  signal  success  in  what 
he  undertook. 

As  the  result  of  only  sixteen  years  of 
business  life,  Mr.  Astor  was  worth  one 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars,  and  is  sup- 
posed, on  a  moderate  estimation,  to 
have  left  a  fortune  of  twenty  millions. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  say  whether 
the  great  part  of  his  immense  fortune 
was  derived  from  his  mercantile  deal- 
ings or  his  investments  in  real  estate. 
He  early  began  and  systematically  fol- 
lowed up  the  policy  of  investing  large- 
ly, not  only  in  the  inhabited  parts  of 
the  city,  where  immediate  income  could 
be  realized,  but  in  imoccupied  lots,  or 
acres,  rather,  of  fields  out  of  town, 
which  he  saw,  in  anticipation,  covered 
by  the  spreading  city.  He  was  under 
no  necessity  of  mortgaging  one  prop- 
erty for  the  purchase  of  another — under 
no  temptation  to  dangerously  expand. 
Thus  he  was  enabled  to  make  invest- 
ments which  it  has  been  said,  no  doubt 
with  literal  truth,  centupled  on  his 
hands.  At  one  time,  it  is  stated,  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  investing  two  thirds 
of  his  net  annual  receipts  in  land,  and 
in  the  course  of  all  of  his  vast  opera- 
tions, with  a  large  part  of  his  fortune 
afloat  on  the  ocean,  he  is  said  never  to 
have  mortgaged  a  lot.  During  the 
fifty  years  of  his  active  business  life,  he 
hardly  made  a  mistake  or  misstep 
through  defect  of  his  own  judgment. 
Until  his  fifty-fifth  year,  he  was  at  his 
office  before  seven  o'clock.  He  was  a 
great  horseman,  and  in  the  constant 
habit  of  riding  out  for  pleasure  and 
exercise.  In  the  strength  of  his  gen- 
eral grasp  of  a  great  subject,  he  did 
not  allow  himself  to  be  too  much  dis- 
turbed by  the  consideration  of  details. 
His  mind  worked  so  actively  that  he 
soon  got  through  the  business  of  a  day, 
and  he  could  leave  his  office  earlier 
than  many  business  men  who  did  less. 


Troubled  and  annoyed  by  petty  trials, 
he  was  calm  and  self-possessed  under 
great  ones.  "  Keep  quiet — keep  cool," 
was  the  constant  and  familiar  admoni- 
tion from  his  lips.  When  the  great 
trials  came,  his  spirit  rose  with  the 
emergency,  and  he  was  equal  to  the 
hour.  Itlr.  Astor  died  in  March,  1848, 
aged  eighty-four  years,  and  in  his  wiU 
bequeathed  four  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars to  found  a  free  public  library  in 
the  city  of  New  York. 


Samuel  Appleton,  SEercIiant,  of 
Soston. 

Samuel  Appletok,  a  rich  merchant 
and  distinguished  philanthropist  of 
Boston,  was  bom  in  New  Ipswich,  N.  H., 
in  1766.  His  father  was  a  respectable 
farmer,  and  the  son  spent  his  youth 
amidst  the  severe  toils  attendant  on  the 
pursuits  of  agricultural  life.  Samuel 
shared  his  good  fortune  with  his 
brother  Nathan,  who  was  his  partner  in 
mercantile  business.  Some  amusing 
anecdotes  are  related  of  the  early  career 
of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  illustrative 
of  his  humble  origin  and  his  fidelity. 
One  of  these  is,  that,  when  fourteen 
years  of  age,  his  father  hired  him  to  as- 
sist a  drover  of  cattle  ten  miles  through 
the  woods,  for  which  service  the  fath- 
er received  twelve  and  a  half  cents. 
The  boy  satisfied  the  drover  so  well, 
that  six  and  a  quarter  cents  more 
were  given  him  as  a  gratuity.  This 
was  perhaps  the  first  money  that 
he  could  call  his  own.  When  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  left  home 
and  spent  some  time  in  clearing  a  lot 
of  new  land  in  Maine,  on  which  was 
a  log  cabin ;  the  nearest  residence  was 
distant  two  miles,  and  his  only  guide 
to  it  was  the  marked  trees.  He  next 
became  a  country  schoolmaster,  but 
after  a  short  time  engaged  in  a  small 
village  store.  His  success  was  good; 
and  in  1794  he  removed  to  Boston, 
where,  with  his  brother  Nathan,  under 
the  firm  of  S.  &  N.  Appleton,  he  em- 
barked in  commercial  pursuits,  and  be- 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


49 


came  one  of  the  most  thrifty  merchants 
in  that  city.  His  wealth  increased 
rapidly ;  and,  from  an  early  date  in  his 
accumulations,  his  charities  gladdened 
the  hearts  of  the  widow  and  orphan. 
The  Boston  Female  Orphan  Society  was 
one  of  the  first  to  participate  in  his 
munificence.  His  native  town,  also, 
was  occasionally  remembered  by  him 
with  filial  aflfection.  Indeed,  he  was 
always  ready  to  give,  according  to  his 
means,  and  when  consistent  with  their 
claims,  if  the  object  presented  was  a 
good  one.  Being  himself  without  chil- 
dren, most  of  his  estate,  amounting  to 
a  million  of  dollars,  was  distributed  by 
his  will  as  follows :  he  left  to  his  wid- 
ow specific  bequests  amounting  to  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars ;  also,  many 
other  bequests,  to  nephews,  nieces  and 
others,  amounting  to  some  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  thousand  dollars  more. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  one 
of  five  thousand  dollars  "  to  his  friend 
and  pastor,  Rev,  Ephraim  Peabody," 
and  five  thousand  dollars  to  the  ser- 
vants living  in  the  family  at  the  time 
of  his  decease,  to  be  distributed  in  the 
manner  and  according  to  the  proportion 
to  be  fixed  upon  by  his  widow.  He 
then  bequeathed  to  his  executors,  man- 
ufacturing stocks  valued  at  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars,  to  be  by  them 
appropriated  for  scientific,  literary,  re- 
ligious,  or  charitable  purposes, — and 
thus,  through  the  long  future,  his 
wealth  is  to  be  beneficially  employed. 
Mr,  Appleton  lived  to  the  good  old  age 
of  eighty-seven  years. 


Peter  O,  Brooks,  Underwriter  and 
ISIillioiuxaire.  of  Boston. 

Peter  C,  Brooks  was  bom  in  North 
Yarmouth,  Maine,  January  6th,  1769, 
his  father,  Rev.  Edward  Brooks,  being 
then  a  settled  clergyman  in  that  place. 
Soon  after  his  birth,  his  father  returned 
to  Medford,  Mass.,  his  native  town,  to 
which  the  family  was  strongly  attached, 
and  there  he  died  prematurely,  in  1781, 
the  son  being  only  twelve  years  of  age. 
4 


As  soon  as  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
arrived  at  maturity,  he  repaired  to  Bos- 
ton, gifted  only  with  a  common  school 
education,  and  without  pecimiary 
means,  to  seek  his  fortime.  The  rich 
men  of  that  city  were  then  in  especial 
need  of  young  men  of  talent  and  char- 
acter, by  whom  they  could  be  assisted 
in  the  care  of  their  property  and  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Brooks  soon  proved  to  them 
that  he  had  business  talents  of  the 
highest  order,  and  these  were  united 
with  great  modesty,  and  an  integrity 
that  never  received  from  youth  to  old 
age  a  single  blemish. 

At  the  time  referred  to,  there  were 
no  insurance  companies  in  Boston,  and 
Mr.  Brooks  had  the  sagacity  to  see  the 
need  of  a  substitute,  and  hence  estab- 
lished himself  as  an  insurance  broker, 
particularly  for  marine  policies.  Most 
of  the  capitalists  had  such  confidence  in 
his  judgments,  that  they  became  imder- 
writers  in  his  office.  With  the  rapidly 
increasing  commerce  of  the  country, 
the  business  of  Mr,  Brooks  became 
large  and  lucrative,  and,  almost  before 
he  or  any  one  else  thought  of  it,  he  was 
a  rich  man.  This  was  the  foundation 
of  an  estate  estimated,  long  before  his 
death,  to  amount  to  three  millions  of 
dollars,  more  or  less;  but  it  was  at 
least  sufficient  to  fiimish  a  moral  to 
young  men,  which  to  them  is  worth 
more  than  any  mere  financial  compu- 
tation. It  shows  how  a  small  busi- 
ness, shrewdly  commenced  and  skilfully 
prosecuted,  wiU  ordinarily  lead  to  com- 
petence, if  not  to  affluence.  The  same 
good  sense  manifested  by  Mr,  Brooks 
in  his  business  affairs  was  also  exhib- 
ited by  him  in  regard  to  his  daughters 
when  contracting  matrimonial  alliances. 
He  desired  his  daughters  especially  to 
select  wise  and  good  husbands,  rat/'er 
than  heartless  and  brainless  shado^a 
of  manhood,  though  possessed  of 
wealth.  In  illustration  of  this,  it  may 
be  mentioned  that  Rev.  Nathaniel  L. 
Prothingham,  D.D.,  Hon.  Edward  Eve- 
rett, and  Hon.  Charles  Francis  Adams, 


50 


COMMERCIAL  AKD  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


son  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  were  his 
sons-in-law.  Although  Mr.  Brooks  did 
not  receive  an  university  education,  yet 
his  attainments  were  better  than  many 
who  had  enjoyed  those  advantages. 
As  a  man  of  business  he  had  not  a  su- 
perior ;  and  in  the  social  relations  of 
life,  he  was  an  accomplished  Christian 
gentleman. 

< 

Thomas  H.  Perkins,  merchant,  of 
Boston. 

Mr.  Pekkins  was  one  of  the  most 
sagacious,  enterprising,  and  successful 
of  Boston  merchants,  of  which  city  he 
was  a  native.  Colonel  Perkins,  as  he 
was  uniformly  called,  had  two  brothers, 
James  and  Samuel,  both  merchants. 
James,  who  died  about  the  year  1835, 
and  left  a  large  fortune,  was  a  liberal 
patron  of  the  Boston  Athenseum.  Sam- 
uel acquired  a  fortime ;  but  afterward 
incurred  such  heavy  losses,  that  for 
many  years  he  derived  his  chief  sup- 
port from  a  salary  as  President  of  the 
Suffolk  Insurance  Company.  Colonel 
Perkins  had  three  sisters,  one  of  whom 
was  the  mother  of  John  P.  Cushing, 
the  well-known  millionnaire,  who  accu- 
mulated a  large  fortune  in  China  ;  one 
was  the  wife  of  Benjamin  Abbott, 
LL.D.,  for  fifty  years  the  celebrated 
principal  of  Phillips  Academy,  Exeter, 
N.  H. ;  and  the  third  sister  was  the 
mother  of  the  philanthropic  Captain 
Forbes,  who  commanded  the  James- 
town on  her  mission  of  benevolence  to 
famished  Ireland,  in  the  year  1847. 

Colonel  Perkins  commenced  his  com- 
mercial career  in  partnership  with  his 
elder  brother,  James,  who  was  a  resi- 
dent of  St.  Domingo,  when  the  insur- 
rection occurred  in  that  island,  and 
was  then  compelled  to  flee  for  his  life. 
They  afterward  embarked  in  the  trade 
to  the  Northwest  coast,  Canton  and 
Calcutta,  in  which  they  acquired  great 
wealth.  Soon  after  the  death  of  his 
brother  James,  Colonel  Perkins  retired 
from  active  business.  The  Perkins 
family  gave  over  sixty  thoasand  dol- 


lars to  the  Boston  Athenaeum.  For 
more  than  sixty  years  was  Colonel 
Perkins  identified  with  the  commercial 
history  of  Boston ;  and  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century,  or  more,  by  common  con- 
sent, occupied  a  prominent  position  as 
the  leading  merchant  of  New  England. 

Among  the  many  incidents  of  his 
life,  which  mark  and  illustrate  his  pri- 
vate character,  is  the  part  he  took  in 
the  erection  of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monu- 
ment, and  the  donation  of  his  elegant 
estate  for  the  use  of  the  Boston  Institu- 
tion for  the  Blind.  He  was  also,  in 
1827,  the  projector  of  the  Quincy  rail- 
way, the  first  enterprise  of  the  kind  in 
the  United  States.  Subsequently,  he 
was  much  interested  in  urging  forward 
the  completion  of  the  Washington 
Monument ;  and  was  also  the  largest 
contributor  to  the  Boston  Mercantile 
Library  Association.  But  his  chief 
pleasure  was  derived  from  his  free  and 
constant  private  charities.  His  full 
heart  kept  his  full  hand  always  open. 

Colonel  Perkins  visited  Europe  sev- 
eral times,  and,  while  in  Paris,  on  one 
of  these  tours,  participated,  with  anoth- 
er Bostonian,  in  the  pleasure  of  libera- 
ting from  the  conscription,  George 
Washington,  the  eldest  son  of  the  Mar- 
quis de  Lafayette.  His  last  visit  to 
Europe  was  made  when  in  his  seventy- 
seventh  year ;  and  it  has  been  asserted 
that  no  American,  occupying  a  private 
station,  has  been  treated  with  such 
marked  attention  by  the  nobility  and 
gentry  of  Great  Britain,  as  was  Colonel 
Perkins.  He  was  not  simply  a  talented 
merchant,  but  his  taste  led  him  to  the 
study  and  to  the  advancement  of  litera- 
ture, the  sciences,  and  the  arts.  He 
died  at  Boston,  in  January,  1854,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-nine  years,  leaving  a  for- 
tune of  nearly  two  millions. 

Jonathan  Goodhne,  Merchant,  of 
New  Tork. 

This  eminent  and  excellent  merchant 

was  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  having 

been  bom  in  Salem,  June  21,  1783. 


EARLY  CAREER  OP  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


61 


His  father,  Hon.  Benjamin  Goodhue, 
represented  the  State  of  Massachusetts 
in  the  United  States  Senate,  two  suc- 
cessive terms.  Jonathan  received  his 
education  at  the  village  grammar 
school,  and  diligently  improved  the 
opportunities  of  educational  advance- 
ment there  afforded  him,  until,  at  the 
age  of  fifteen,  he  became  a  clerk  of  that 
excellent  man  and  distinguished  mer- 
chant, John  Norris,  of  Salem.  After 
serving  in  this  capacity  a  few  years,  his 
employer  sent  him  to  Arabia,  as  super- 
cargo, touching  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  and  the  Isle  of  France,  and  re- 
maining some  six  months  at  Aden,  Ara- 
bia, carrying  on  trade  with  the  Moham- 
medans, Subsequently  to  this  he  went, 
in  the  same  capacity,  on  a  voyage  to 
Calcutta. 

In  1807,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
Mr.  Goodhue  removed  to  New  York, 
and  there  commenced  his  successful 
career  as  an  extensive,  high-minded 
and  opulent  merchant,  under  the  pat- 
ronage of  his  former  friend,  Mr.  Norris, 
together  with  such  men  as  William 
Gray,  of  Boston,  Joseph  Peabody,  of 
Salem,  and  others  of  kindred  stamp  in 
that  section  of  the  country ;  and  one 
of  his  warmest  friends  in  his  newly 
chosen  sphere  of  commercial  operations 
was  the  late  Archibald  Gracie. 

As  soon  as  the  peace  of  1814  came 
with  its  blessings  upon  the  country, 
Mr.  Goodhue  greatly  extended  his  busi- 
ness, comprising  voyages  to  almost  all 
parts  of  Europe,  the  East  Indies,  Mexi- 
co, South  America,  etc.  And  such  was 
the  method  which  characterized  Mr. 
Goodhue's  business  transactions,  that, 
notwithstanding  the  long  period  cov- 
ered by  his  career,  and  the  consequent 
multiplicity  and  importance  of  the  po- 
litical and  other  events  affecting  com- 
mercial interests  during  that  period,  his 
credit  remained  unimpaired  throughout 
the  whole. 

In  his  intellectual  qualities,  Mr.  Good- 
hue was  distinguished  for  simplicity, 
clearness  and  strength,  and  his  love  of 


acquiring  information  from  books  and 
intelligent  acquaintances.  He  was  an 
unflinching  Federalist,  and  an  advocate 
of  the  doctrine  of  free  trade, — differing 
of  course,  in  these  respects,  from  the 
great  body  of  his  associates  through  life. 
But  that  he  entertained  these  views  of 
political  and  commercial  policy  con- 
scientiously, no  one  ever  for  a  moment 
doubted.  The  same  quality  of  con- 
scientious uprightness  may  be  said  to 
have  shone  conspicuously  in  all  his 
personal,  public,  and  business  dealings. 
His  tastes,  too,  were  simple,  and  thus 
the  affluence  to  which  he  attained  was 
never  accompanied  by  pride  or  extrava- 
gance ;  and  though  he  shunned  noto- 
riety, he  was  always  ready  to  fill  those 
positions  of  philanthropic  or  financial 
trust  in  wliich  he  could  be  of  benefit  to 
his  fellow-men, — a  feeling  which  was 
illustrated  by  his  long  and  honorable 
connection  with  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant institutions  in  his  adopted  city. 
Mr.  Goodhue  died  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-five years.  Immediately  after  this 
event,  a  letter  was  found,  written  by  Mr. 
Goodhue  to  his  family,  and  in  which, 
— with  many  other  things  equally  char- 
acteristic of  the  goodly  simplicity  of 
his  character, — he  says :  "  In  reference 
to  the  closing  scene  in  this  world,  I 
wish  to  express  my  desire  that  there 
be  no  parade  connected  with  the  funeral 
performances.  It  would  be  my  desire 
that  none  but  the  immediate  relatives 
and  friends  should  be  called  together 
when  the  usual  religious  services  should 
be  performed,  and  that  no  more  than  a 
single  carriage  should  follow  the  hearse 
to  the  cemeter}'." 


Erastus  Coming-,  Merchant,  of  New 
York. 

In  1807,  when  but  thirteen  years  of 
age,  Erastus  Corning  sought  and  found 
the  opportunity  to  begin  that  indus- 
trious career,  which  he  has  so  long  and 
so  admirably  sustained.  Troy  at  that 
time  attracted  the  attention  of  many 


52 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


of  the  sagacious  men  of  business  of  the 
Eastern  States.  It  seemed  by  its  posi- 
tion toward  the  Western  and  Northern 
trade,  and  the  facilities  for  manufacture 
which  clustered  near  it,  to  afford  a  sure 
recompense  for  the  exercise  of  business 
energy ;  a  result  of  which  the  success 
of  the  city  has  justified  the  prediction. 
Mr.  Coming's  relative,  Mr.  Benjamin 
Smith,  appreciating  the  character  and 
energy  of  his  nephew,  made  him  the 
companion  of  his  removal  from  Nor- 
wich ;  and,  as  he  fixed  his  abode  in 
Troy,  associated  him  with  his  business. 
Mr.  Corning  here,  and  then,  entered 
upon  that  connection  with  the  business 
of  hardware  which,  with  him,  has  been 
the  progress  from  a  moderate  begin- 
ning to  the  head  and  control  of  the 
largest  establishment  in  that  section  of 
the  country.  Seven  years  were  passed 
in  Troy.  The  same  kind  relative  who 
had  initiated  him  into  the  duties  of  a 
commercial  life,  accompanied  him  with 
his  kindness  to  the  last.  Strengthened 
in  fortune,  and  with  a  business  habit 
which  moulded  readily  to  his  charac- 
ter, and  which  was  every  day  develop- 
ing the  resources  of  judgment  and  good 
sense  which  distinguished  him,  he  re- 
moved to  Albany — the  city  the  annals 
of  whose  prosperity,  and,  better  than 
that,  of  whose  charities,  cannot  be  dis- 
sociated from  his  life. 

The  house  Mr.  Coming  entered,  when 
he  arrived  at  Albany,  had  at  its  head 
a  remarkable  man — a  man  of  the  first 
grade  of  merchants.  John  Spencer  ex- 
hibited one  of  the  best  specimens  of  a 
merchant  high  in  the  order  of  commer- 
cial integrity.  Nor  is  it  strange  that 
out  of  a  house,  conducted  by  such  a 
man,  so  many  fortunes  have  had  origin. 
Many  of  those,  now  giving  to  various 
great  measures  of  good  the  valuable 
influence  of  their  wealth,  as  well  as 
their  example,  traced  from  the  house 
of  John  Spencer  &  Co.  their  career. 
On  one  occasion,  Mr.  Spencer  was  at 
the  old  Pearl-street  House  in  New 
York,  when  that  locality  was  the  gath- 


ering place  of  the  merchants  of  West- 
ern New  York.  At  tlie  dinner  table 
were  collected  such  men  as  Christopher 
Morgan,  and  those  who,  like  him,  led 
the  business  of  "the  West" — a  geo- 
graphical designation  applied,  at  that 
time,  to  New  York  State.  The  name 
of  a  merchant  in  Albany  was  mention- 
ed, and  Mr.  Spencer  asked  in  relation 
to  his  solvency  and  credit.  He  an- 
swered instantly :  "  As  good  as  my 
own."  Returning  to  Albany,  he  sent 
for  that  man,  conversed  with  him  of 
his  affairs,  entered  fully  into  their  ac- 
tual condition,  and  finding  them  pre- 
carious and  at  peril,  assumed  the  bur- 
den of  his  obligations,  and  placed  him 
beyond  cavil  or  danger.  Such  was 
John  Spencer's  estimate  of  the  worth 
of  a  merchant's  word,  that  even  his 
opinion  was  to  be — though  at  cost  and 
loss — made  sound  and  reliable. 

The  young  man  who,  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  came  to  his  establishment,  was 
congenial  to  such  honorable  rule,  and 
in  two  years  after  his  entry  to  the  house 
he  became  a  partner,  and  the  house  of 
Erastus  Coming — sometimes  alone,  but 
oftener  with  partners,  giving  to  the 
business  the  same  high  and  earnest  di- 
rection— ^has  continued  in  increasing 
prosperity,  and  with  a  range  of  busi- 
ness touching  the  very  verge  of  the 
country.  But  it  is  to  Mr.  Corning,  as 
a  railway  man,  that  the  public  eye  has 
for  many  years  been  directed,  and,  so 
well  known  is  his  distinguished  career 
in  this  sphere,  that  it  would  be  well- 
nigh  superfluous  to  attempt,  in  this 
place,  any  delineation  of  his  great  and 
sagacious  abilities. 


Archibald  Gracie,  Merchant,  of  New 
York. 

This  distinguished  merchant  and  es- 
timable man  was  bom  at  Dumfries,  in 
Scotland,  in  1756.  He  received  a  mer- 
cantile education  of  high  order,  in  a 
counting  house  at  Liverpool.  Among 
his  fellow  clerks  were  three  other  emi- 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


53 


nent  merchants — the  late  Mr,  Ewart, 
of  the  latter  place  ;  Mr.  Reid,  of  Reid, 
Irving  &  Co.,  London ;  and  Mr.  Caton, 
of  Baltimore,  who  married  a  daughter 
of  Charles  Carroll,  of  CarroUton. 

Mr.  Gracie  came  to  the  United 
States  soon  after  the  peace  which  con- 
firmed their  independence,  and  mar- 
ried Miss  Rogers,  a  sister  of  the  late 
Moses  Rogers  Esq.,  of  New  York.  He 
established  himself  first  in  Virginia; 
where,  in  the  year  1796,  he  was  ranked 
among  our  first  merchants  for  credit 
and  capital. 

The  geographical  position  of  New 
York  did  not  escape  his  foresight ;  for 
he  early  pronounced  its  destiny  to  be 
the  commercial  emporium  of  the  West- 
em  World,  and  selected  that  port  for 
the  home  of  his  mercantile  operations, 
as  well  as  permanently  made  it  his  resi- 
dence. Here  riches  flowed  in,  and 
honor  and  usefulness  were  his  rewards 
for  a  long  term  of  years.  Endowed 
with  rare  sagacity  and  sound  sense,  to 
which  he  added  great  experience,  his 
commercial  enterprises  were  laid  with 
judgment,  and  executed  with  zeal.  His 
signal  flag  was  known  in  most  of  the 
ports  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the 
Baltic  seas,  of  the  Peninsula,  in  Great 
Britain  and  China,  and  his  name  was 
synonymous  with  credit,  probity,  and 
honor.  Even  the  Spanish  Government, 
not  usually  over-confiding  in  foreigners, 
intrusted  to  him  at  one  time  their  bills 
of  exchange,  drawn  on  Vera  Cruz,  to 
the  extent  of  ten  millions  of  dollars. 
These  biUs  were  brought  in  a  French 
frigate  to  New  York,  in  1806,  and  Mr. 
Isaac  Bell,  who  had  charge  of  them, 
was  upset  in  a  boat,  and  a  reward  of 
two  hundred  dollars  was  ofiered  to  the 
finder  of  the  trunk  which  contained 
them.  It  was  picked  up  a  fortnight 
after,  at  Deal  Beach,  near  Long  Branch. 
The  bills  were  dried,  and  collected  in 
specie  by  Mr.  Gracie  and  two  other 
distinguished  merchants — Mr.  Oliver, 
of  Baltimore,  and  Mr.  Craig,  of  Phila- 
delphia. 


But  a  season  of  reverses  came.  Em- 
barrassed by  the  capture  of  ships  and 
cargoes,  and  by  the  failure  of  foreign 
correspondents  and  domestic  debtors — 
disaster  upon  disaster  befalling  the 
commercial  community — his  mass  of 
wealth,  accumulated  by  a  long  life  of 
enterprise  and  industry,  was  entirely 
swept  away  in  the  common  ruin — a 
sad  verification  of  the  proverb :  "  Rich- 
es take  to  themselves  wings  and  fly 
away."  But  he  never  boasted  of 
them,  nor  trusted  in  their  continuance. 
Public  confidence  had  often  been  mani- 
fested toward  him  by  appointments  to 
places  of  trust ;  and  now  his  friends, 
whose  esteem  he  never  lost  nor  for- 
feited, sought  to  secure  a  continuance 
of  his  usefulness,  and  an  asylum  for  his 
declining  years,  in  the  presidency  of 
an  insurance  company,  created  for  these 
purposes.  But  the  effect  of  the  blast 
which  had  prostrated  him  was  not  yet 
over ;  for  here  again  adversity  crossed 
his  path,  and  the  hazards  of  the  ocean 
proved  ruinous  to  the  affairs  of  the  office. 
Benevolence  and  beneficence  were 
the  shining  characteristics  of  Mr.  Gra- 
cie. His  dwelling  was  long  the  man- 
sion of  elegant,  unostentatious  hospi- 
tality, and  his  door  never  closed  against 
the  poor.  It  is  no  slight  testimonial  to 
his  standing  and  worth,  that  he  re- 
ciprocated honor  in  a  long  and  confi- 
dential intimacy  with  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton and  Gouvemeur  Morris.  Mr. 
Gracie  died  on  the  12th  of  April,  1829, 
in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age. 


Thomas  P.  Cope,  Kerchaut,  of 
PMladelphia 

Mb.  Cope,  formerly  one  of  the  most 
eminent  of  Philadelphia  merchants,  was 
a  native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  belonged  to  a  highly  re- 
spectable Quaker  family.  His  ances- 
tor, Oliver  Cope,  was  one  of  the  first 
purchasers  from  William  Penn.  On 
the  maternal  side,  Mr.  C.  descended 
from  the  Pyms,  who  claim  as  an  an- 


54 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


cestor  the  celebrated  parliamentarian, 
John  Pym,  whose  name  is  connected 
with  that  of  Strafford.  In  1786,  he  was 
sent  to  Philadelphia,  and  entered  a 
counting  house.  In  1790,  he  began 
business  for  himself,  and  built  for  his 
own  use  the  store  at  the  comer  of  Second 
street  and  Jones's  Alley,  then  known 
by  the  euphonious  designation  of  Pew- 
ter-Platter Alley.  Here  he  transacted 
a  large  business,  importing  his  own 
goods.  In  this  location  he  continued 
until  1807,  at  which  time  he  built  his 
first  ship,  which  he  named  for  his  na- 
tive county,  Lancaster.  This  same  year 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature ; 
and  soon  afterward  he  was  solicited  to 
accept  a  nomination  for  Congress,  but 
preferred  to  superintend  his  extensive 
mercantile  concerns.  To  Mr.  Cope  was 
Philadelphia  indebted,  in  1821,  for  the 
establishment  of  the  first  regular  line 
of  packet  ships  between  that  city  and 
Liverpool,  England. 

About  1810,  Mr.  Cope  removed  his 
place  of  business  to  Walnut  street  wharf, 
where  his  sons  now  have  their  counting 
house,  and  where  their  packet  ships 
lie  when  in  port.  This  place  had  been 
remarkable  as  the  scene  of  misfortune 
to  nearly  all  its  previous  occupants, 
and  so  marked  had  the  results  been, 
so  striking  and  so  uninterrupted,  that  a 
dread  had  been  excited  in  the  minds 
of  those  the  least  tinctured  with  super- 
stition. It  was  what  was  called  an 
"unlucky  place,"  and  several  of  Mr, 
Cope's  friends  mentioned  to  him  with 
some  earnestness  its  bad  character  in 
this  respect.  "Then,"  said  he,  with 
his  characteristic  uprightness  and  fear- 
lessness, "  I  will  try  to  earn  for  it  a  bet- 
ter name."  And  although  he  was  a 
wealthy  man  before  he  removed  thither, 
yet  that  place  is  identified  with  his 
subsequent  prosperity. 

As  a  mercantile  man,  Mr.  Cope  was 
the  contemporary  and  often  the  rival 
of  Stephen  Girard;  he  was  also  on 
terms  of  intimacy  and  fiiendship  with 
that  remarkable  man.    It  was  another 


proof  of  Mr.  Girard's  sagacity,  that  he 
selected  Mr.  Cope  to  be  one  of  the  exe- 
cutors of  his  will,  and  one  of  the  trus- 
tees of  the  bank.  It  happened  that 
after  discharging  with  fidelity  the  du- 
ties which  his  friend  and  fellow  mer- 
chant had  thus  devolved  upon  him, 
Mr.  Cope  became,  for  a  time.  President 
of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the 
Girard  Estate.  To  Mr.  Cope,  in  an 
eminent  degree,  may  be  acceded  the 
praise  of  bringing  to  a  completion  the 
Chesapeake  and  Delaware  Canal ;  and 
the  citizens  of  Philadelphia  are  not 
likely  soon  to  forget  the  promptness 
and  the  eflBciency  of  his  efforts  to  se- 
cure the  construction  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad.  For  a  long  time  he 
was  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade, 
an  active  manager  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Hospital,  and  was  also  President  of  the 
Mercantile  Library  Company  from  its 
foundation  to  his  death. 

His  personal  appearance  was  quite 
prepossessing ;  and  not  even  the  weight 
of  eighty  years  deprived  him  of  a  buoy- 
ancy of  spirits  that  made  his  company 
the  delight  of  social  gatherings.  He 
died  November  23, 1854. 


Jacob  Sidgway,  Kerchant,  of 
Philadelphia. 

Jacob  Ridgwat,  son  of  John  and 
Phebe  Ridgway,  of  Little  Egg  Harbor, 
was  bom  on  the  18th  of  April,  1768, 
and  was  the  youngest  of  five  children. 
His  parents  were  Friends,  his  father 
being  an  elder  in  the  meeting.  He  was 
about  seven  years  old  when  his  father 
died.  His  father  left  a  good  farm,  be- 
sides money  at  interest,  for  each  of  the 
three  sons ;  and  a  small  house  and  lot, 
with  three  thousand  dollars,  to  each  of 
the  daughters.  The  family  continued 
to  live  at  the  homestead,  until  the  death 
of  the  mother,  when  the  household  was 
broken  up  ;  and  Jacob,  then  about  six- 
teen, went  to  Philadelphia,  to  live  with 
his  eldest  sister,  whose  husband  he  had 
chosen  as  his  guardian.    His  property 


EARLY  CAREER  OF  BUSINESS  CELEBRITIES. 


55 


was  more  than  sufficient  for  his  main- 
tenance and  education,  and  aflforded  a 
capital  at  last  for  commencing  business. 

He  studied  the  wholesale  dry  goods 
business  in  the  store  of  Samuel  Shaw, 
and  succeeded  him  in  it  as  partner  with 
his  son,  Thomas  Shaw.  Though  only 
twenty-one,  he  was  highly  valued  for 
his  business  capacity.  After  a  few 
years  he  withdrew  from  this,  and  went 
into  partnership  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  James  Smith,  in  a  grocery,  on 
Water  street.  They  continued  this  for 
some  time,  till,  finding  their  fimds  in- 
creasing, they  sold  out  to  Joseph  Pry- 
or,  and  commenced  the  shipping  busi- 
ness. 

Smith  &  Ridgway  continued  as  ship- 
ping merchants  with  great  prosperity 
until  the  difficulties  between  France 
and  England.  Their  ships  were  seized ; 
and  it  became  necessary  for  one  of  the 
firm  to  reside  abroad  to  protect  their 
property.  Mr.  Ridgway  then  removed 
with  his  family  to  London,  where  he 
conducted  the  business  of  the  firm,  and 
also  that  of  other  merchants.  He  spent 
much  time  in  travelling,  but  finally 
settled  at  Antwerp,  as  consul  for  the 
United  States.  He  there  became  a 
partner  in  the  firm  of  Mertons  &  Ridg- 
way, still  continuing  in  the  firm  of 


Smith  &  Ridgway,  of  Philadelphia. 
During  this  time  he  constantly  sent  on 
funds  to  be  invested  in  real  estate  in 
Philadelphia.  On  his  return,  after  sev- 
eral years'  absence,  he  retired  from 
business,  finding  sufficient  employment 
in  the  care  of  his  property. 

It  is  related,  as  an  instance  of  his  de- 
cision and  promptitude,  that,  while 
living  as  consul  at  Antwerp,  he  was  in- 
formed of  the  seizure  of  a  vessel  con- 
signed to  his  care,  the  cargo  of  which 
was  very .  valuable.  Instantly  he  de- 
spatched a  courier  to  Paris  to  order 
relays  of  post-horses  at  the  different 
stations,  collected  his  papers,  and  trav- 
elled day  and  night,  eating  and  sleep- 
ing in  his  carriage,  until  he  reached 
Paris,  where  he  procured  an  interview 
with  Bonaparte,  obtained  authenticated 
papers  for  the  ship's  release,  and  re- 
turned to  Antwerp  with  the  same  ra- 
pidity. Before  his  absence  had  been 
even  suspected,  and  just  as  the  captors 
were  about  breaking  open  the  cargo 
and  dividing  the  spoil,  much  to  their 
surprise  and  disappointment,  he  ap- 
peared among  them  and  countermand- 
ed their  proceedings,  producing  his 
papers,  and  taking  possession  of  the 
ship.  Mr.  Ridgway  died  in  May,  1843, 
aged  seventy-six  years. 


PART  SECOm 


Anecdotes  and  Incidents  of  Business  Pursuits  in 
THEIR  Money  Relations. 


PAET  SECOKD. 

Anecdotes  and  Incidents  of  Busmess  Pursuits  in  their  Money 

Eelations. 

BANKS,     BANKERS,    BROKERS,     SPECIE,     NOTES,     LOANS,    EXCHANGE,    DRAFTS,    CHECKS,    PUBLIC 
SECURITIES,    AND    CURRENCY   IN    ALL    ITS    FORMS   AND    PHASES;    WITH    JOTTINGS    OF   THE 

MOST    CELEBRATED    MILLIONAIRES    AND    MONEY    DEALERS THEIR    BUSINESS    MODES    AND 

CHARACTERISTICS,    MAXIMS,    COLLOQUIES,    ECCENTRICITIES,    WIT,    AND    FINESSE. 


Money  in  thy  purse  will  ever  be  in  fashion. — Ralbioh. 
Money,  as  money,  Batisfles  no  want,  answers  no  purpose — can  be  neither  eaten,  drank,  nor 
worn.— Laurins. 

It — money— is  none  of  the  wheels  of  trade  ;  it  is  the  oil  which  renders  the  motion  of  the  wheels 
more  smooth  and  easy. — Hume. 

Then  would  he  be  a  broker,  and  draw  in 
Both  wares  and  monej',  by  exchange  to  win. — Spenser. 
Whole  droves  of  lenders  crowd  the  banker's  doors. — Drtdes. 


Drawingr  the  Specie. 

There  was  at  one  time,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Boston,  a  working  man  who  had 
saved  quite  a  sum  from  his  earnings, 
and  of  this  sum  he  deposited  some 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  in  a  bank,  one 
of  the  officers  of  which  was  an  old 
acquaintance.  After  a  time,  however, 
the  depositor  concluded  to  withdraw 
his  money,  stating  that  he  wished  gold, 
as  he  was  to  expend  it  in  Maine,  and 
there  might  be  some  trouble  about  bills 
if  he  took  them.  He  was  informed 
that  the  cashier's  check  would  be  as 
good  as  gold  for  the  purpose,  and  in 
case  of  loss,  be  more  secure,  as  pay- 
ment could  be  stopped.  But  he  desired 
to  have  the  gold,  which  was  at  once 
counted  out  to  him.  The  next  the 
bank  officers  heard  of  him,  he  was 
under  arrest,  and  the  following  facts 
were  elicited :  The  story  about  taking 
the  funds  to  Maine  was  simply  an 
excuse  for  drawing  specie.    The  gold 


had  been  secreted  under  the  hay  in  the 
loft  of  a  stable ;  and  the  man,  visiting 
it  in  the  night,  had  taken  a  lantern, 
the  light  of  which  had  arrested  the 
attention  of  another  party  who  watched 
the  movements,  supposing  the  owner 
of  the  gold  to  be  an  incendiary,  and 
took  the  man  and  his  bag  of  double 
eagles  forthwith  to  the  police  station 
house.  After  considerable  parley  and 
protestations  of  innocence  on  the  part 
of  the  supposed  culprit,  the  funds  were 
retained  as  security  for  the  owner's 
appearance  in  the  morning.  His  state- 
ments concerning  his  treasure  were 
verified  the  next  day,  and  he  was  re- 
leased. When  remonstrated  with  for 
his  imprudence  in  mistrusting  a  sound 
bank  so  capriciously,  and  leaving  his 
money  in  a  place  so  liable  to  destruc- 
tion as  a  stable,  he  replied,  that  he 
thought  that  in  case  the  bam  was 
burned,  his  gold  would  drop  through, 
and  he  could  easily  find  it  among  the 
ruins  1 


60 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


The  Great  Bankers  of  the  World  in 
Bothschiid's  Parlor. 

Ik  the  year  1824,  the  great  bankers 
of  the  world  met  together  to  combine 
in  the  carrying  out  of  a  colossal  opera- 
tion for  the  French  government,  viz., 
to  convert  the  state  debt  from  five  per 
cents,  to  three  per  cents. 

It  was  proposed  to  pay  oflF  with  a 
roimd  smn  those  who  were  disinclined 
to  exchange  their  claims  which  bore 
five  per  cent,  interest  for  new  three  per 
cent,  claims,  and  to  take  seventy-five 
francs  for  every  hundred.  The  whole 
of  the  state  debt  amounted  to  3,066,- 
783,560  francs ;  and  as  it  was  shown 
that  only  about  one  third  of  the  state 
creditors  would  consent  to  the  conver- 
sion, a  payment  in  cash  of  1,055,556,720 
francs  became  necessary.  In  order  to 
collect  this  important  capital,  the  whole 
financial  power  of  England,  Holland 
and  France  was  called  into  exercise. 
Invitations  in  all  directions  assembled 
the  leaders  of  the  Paris  and  London  Ex- 
changes— Messrs.  Baring  Brothers  & 
Co.  of  London,  Brothers  Rothschild, 
and  J.  Lafitte  &  Co.  of  Paris, — to  no  very 
difficult  task,  namely,  to  arrange  in 
three  lists  the  capitalists  of  various 
lands  with  whom  they  were  coimected, 
especially  those  of  London,  Amsterdam, 
and  Paris,  at  the  head  of  each  list  being 
one  of  themselves. 

These  financial  magnates  sat  daily  in 
the  parlor  of  the  Brothers  Rothschild, 
and  sat  the  longer  because  of  the  inex- 
haustible eloquence  of  M.  Lafitte,  about 
the  advantages  to  accrue  from  the  con- 
version and  all  matters  connected  with 
it, — an  eloquence  which,  as  Mr.  Baring 
afterwards  remarked,  drove  them  fre- 
quently into  positive  impatience. 

The  secret  plan  of  the  holders  of  the 
three  per  cent,  debt  was  to  raise  it  to 
eighty,  and  then  to  sell  it,  and  so  get 
rid  of  it.  This  price  would  give  to 
buyers  an  interest  of  three  and  one-half 
per  cent. ;  and  if  the  portion  of  the 
debt  to  be  paid  off  could  not  be  raised, 
excepting  by  new  three  per  cent,  pur- 


chasers at  eighty,  the  consequence 
would  be,  that  the  five  per  cent,  before 
the  conversion  would  be  worth  the  rela- 
tive price  of  one  hundred  and  six  francs 
sixty-six  and  two- thirds,  in  order  to  get 
rid  of  the  corresponding  interest.  This 
governed  the  operations  of  the  London, 
Frankfort,  Amsterdam,  and  Paris  Ex- 
changes. The  capital  destined  for  the 
conversion,  and  collected  at  the  com- 
mon cost  of  the  representatives  of  the 
three  lists,  was  estimated  at  one  thou- 
sand millions.  Speculators  had  con- 
ceived so  favourable  an  idea  of  the 
three  per  cent,  funds  to  be  created — an 
idea  based  upon  the  belief  that  the 
undertakers  would  not  bring  it  into 
circulation  under  eighty — ^that  buyers 
were  found  in  Amsterdam  and  Frank- 
fort at  eighty-one  and  eighty-two,  and 
even  eighty-three  and  a  half.  At  the 
same  time  important  sales  were  made  of 
French  five  per  cent,  state  paper,  at  the 
relative  price  of  from  one  hundred  and 
six  francs  sixty-seven,  to  one  hundred 
and  ten.  Nothing  more  was  to  be  had. 
The  project,  after  much  opposition,  was 
sanctioned  by  the  chambers  of  deputies 
and  peers.  For  the  business  world,  the 
consequence  of  this  measure  was  im- 
mense losses  for  all  the  direct  par- 
takers in  the  conversion,  and  for  all  the 
first  speculators.  The  five  per  cents, 
ran  down  to  ninety-eight  francs,  and 
remained  fixed  at  that  price  for  a  long 
time.  As  people  had  freely  purchased 
in  behalf  of  the  conversion,  it  became 
necessary  to  turn  the  purchases  made 
on  time  into  money  again. 

Of  the  three  chiefs  of  this  celebrated 
coalition,  Messrs.  Baring  and  Lafitte 
suffered  most,  because  of  the  immense 
expense  caused  by  the  collection  of  the 
thousand  millions.  But  the  Roths- 
childs were  splendidly  compensated  by 
the  sales  of  the  three  per  cents,  at  eigh- 
ty-one and  eighty-two,  and  by  the  sale, 
at  the  same  time,  of  a  great  quantity 
of  five  per  cents,  at  one  hundred  and 
four — five — and  six.  As  the  three  per 
cents,  had  just  been  called  into  exist- 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


61 


ence  they  had  nothing  to  furnish,  and 
they  could  replace  the  five  per  cents, 
sold  at  ninety-eight  francs.  This  plan 
of  M.  Rothschild  was  not  imparted  to 
the  other  two  who  were  interested  in  the 
conversion,  as  is  always  required  by  the 
common  understanding  of  a  common 
participation  in  loss  and  gain — the  two 
had  been  outflanked.  The  unconquer- 
able aversion  which  the  chief  of  the 
Hope  house  had  long  felt,  to  all  busi- 
ness connections  with  the  Rothschilds, 
was  the  cause  of  the  Amsterdam  firms 
having  no  part  in  the  projected  con- 
version, and  consequently  none  in  the 
losses.  In  the  same  way  the  house  of 
Hottinguer  &  Co.  refused  any  partici- 
pation in  the  matter. 


Nicholas  Biddle  and  the  Mississippi 
Loan. 

To  the  prudence  and  clearness  which 
characterized  Mr.  Riddle's  course  in  the 
crisis  of  1836-'7  has  been  attributed  the 
fact  that  American  credit  was  saved, 
and  the  mercantile  interests  of  the 
United  States  preserved  from  ruin.  The 
gratitude  of  the  commercial  houses  thus 
carried  through  was  limitless,  and  Rid- 
dle was  always  received  with  marked 
attention  in  New  York,  and  through- 
out the  States  he  was  hailed  as  the 
greatest  financier  of  the  day — the  Sa- 
viour of  Commerce.  Perhaps  the  height 
to  which  he  was  thus  elevated  made 
him  dizzy,  even  generating  the  fancy 
that  his  popularity  and  moneyed  in- 
fluence could  lift  him  to  the  presi- 
dential chair.  To  win  the  South,  he 
made  enormous  advances  to  the  cotton 
planters.  His  last  measure  for  popu- 
larity was  this  :  there  was  no  American 
holder  of  the  whole  $5,000,000  to  the 
State  of  Mississippi.  Planters  are  natu- 
rally rather  backward,  and  this  begat 
public  distrust.  Then  Riddle  took  the 
whole  loan,  reckoning  on  his  influence 
and  the  indorsement  of  his  bank  to  pro- 
cure money  from  the  capitalist.  When 
he  saw,  however,  that  he  had  reckoned 
without  his  host,  he  determined  to  offer 


a  part  of  it  to  Hottinguer  &  Co.,  as 
equivalent  for  the  bank  exchanges. 
The  French  firm,  however,  already  a 
little  nervous,  resolved  to  get  rid  of  the 
whole  burden,  to  let  the  bank  paper  be 
protested,  and  to  send  back  the  Missis- 
sippi paper.  What  followed  is  well 
known. 


Ooldschmid  and  Bariner's  Unfortunate 
Contract— Suicide  of  the  Pormer. 

Some  fifty  years  ago,  the  houses  of 
Raring  and  Goldschmid  were  contract- 
ors for  a  ministerial  loan  of  £14,000,000. 
Rut  Sir  Francis  Raring  dying,  the  sup- 
port of  the  market  was  left  to  his  com- 
panion. The  task  was  diflBcult,  for  a 
formidable  opposition  had  arisen,  which 
required  the  united  energies  of  both 
houses  to  repress,  and  to  meet  which 
one  house  was  inadequate.  It  was  the 
interest  of  this  opposition  to  reduce  the 
value  of  scrip,  and  it  succeeded.  Day 
by  day  it  lowered,  and  day  by  day  was 
Mr.  Goldschmid's  fortune  lowered  with 
it.  He  had  about  £8,000,000  in  his 
possession ;  and  with  the  depression  of 
his  fortune  his  mind  grew  dispirited 
and  clouded.  Another  circumstance 
occurred  at  this  particular  moment  to 
increase  his  embarrassments.  Half  a 
million  of  exchequer  bills  had  been 
placed  in  his  hands  to  negotiate  for  the 
East  India  Company ;  and  the  latter, 
fearing  the  result  of  the  contest  going 
on,  claimed  the  amount.  His  friends 
did  not  rally  around  him,  as  might 
have  been  expected  they  would,  at  such 
a  moment ;  and  Abraham  Goldschmid, 
dreading  a  disgrace  which  his  sensi- 
tive and- honorable  nature  magnified  a 
hundredfold,  after  entertaining  a  large 
dinner  party,  destroyed  himself  in  the 
garden  of  his  magnificent  residence  in 
Surrey. 

Glances  behind  the  Bank  Counter. 

A  YERT  readable  account  of  some  of 
the  inside  operations  of  a  provincial 
bank  is  given  in  Chambers'  Journal. 
We  commence  with  "Old  Levy,"  the 


62 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


official  specie  hunter :  "  Who  can  this 
little  naan  be  who  comes  forward, 
thumping  down  on  the  counter  those 
immense  bags  of  silver,  and  who  has  a 
man  behind  him  bringing  more  ? " 
This  is  "  Old  Levy,"  who  collects  silver 
for  the  bank,  when  hard  pressed  for 
that  useful  commodity.  How  he  gets 
it  all,  or  where,  nobody  cares  to  know ; 
there  it  is.  Hard  work  he  must  have, 
and  not  very  great  pay,  for  he  receives 
only  half  a  crown  for  every  hundred 
pounds  of  silver  he  brings.  But  a  very 
useful  appendage  to  the  bank  is  Mr. 
Levy,  nevertheless. 

There  goes  the  messenger  oflF  to  some 
branch  with  a  remittance  which  prob- 
ably has  just  been  asked  for  by  letter. 
There  seems  nothing  very  particular 
about  him,  and  yet  his  non-arrival  at 
the  branch  to-day  would  place  the  re- 
spectable manager  there  in  a  very  un- 
comfortable dilemma.  It  is  curious  how 
little  bother  is  made  in  sending  him 
oflF.  The  manager  quietly  walks  up  to 
him  and  says  laconically  :  "  Ten  thou- 
sand pounds  in  notes  to  go  to  Overdun 
Branch  by  next  train  ;  you  have  twenty 
minutes."  The  messenger  sends  out 
for  a  cab,  stuflfs  the  little  bundle  of 
notes  into  an  inside  breastpocket,  and 
away  he  goes,  as  unceremoniously  and 
imconcemedly  as  if  he  hadn't  a  penny 
about  him. 

Here  comes  the  little  telegraph  lad, 
elbowing  his  way  up  to  the  teller,  and 
pitching  his  missive  imperiously  across 
to  him,  as  if  he  knew  that  his  busi- 
ness was  of  primary  consequence,  and 
would  be  first  attended  to ;  and  he  is 
right.  The  dispatch  is  opened  by  the 
manager,  and  is  from  the  London  bank- 
ers, where  all  the  bills  are  payable, — 
and  he  thus  reads  :  "  Your  customer, 
Robert  Banks's  bill  for  three  hundred 
pounds  to  Hayes  &  Co.,  is  presented  for 
payment ;  we  have  no  advice  from  you 
to  pay, — shall  we  do  so  ? "  "  Very 
stupid  of  Banks,"  mutters  the  manager ; 
but  on  referring  to  his  account,  he  finds 
plenty  of  funds  to  meet  it ;  so  the  care- 


less friend  is  sent  for,  to  give  the  neces- 
sary check  and  sanction  for  correcting 
his  oversight.  He  comes  in  very  hot, 
makes  all  kinds  of  apologies,  and  then 
another  little  missive  is  sent  to  the  tele- 
graph office,  addressed  to  the  bank's 
agents ;  it  contains  only  the  word 
"Pay,"  accompanied,  however,  by  a 
private  cipher,  known  only  to  the  "  con- 
fidentials  "  in  both  establishments,  and 
without  which  no  notice  would  be 
taken  of  it. 


Vaults  of  the  Bank  of  France. 

The  silver  coin  of  the  Bank  of  France 
is  heaped  up  in  barrels  and  placed  in 
spacious  cellars,  resembling  the  subter- 
ranean storehouse  of  a  brewery,  each 
tub  holding  fifty  thousand  francs,  in 
five-franc  pieces,  and  weighing  about 
six  hundred  pounds.  There  are,  at 
times,  eight  hundred  barrels,  piled  up 
to  the  very  crown  of  the  arches,  and 
rising  much  higher  than  a  man's  head. 
The  visitor  walks  through  a  long  alley 
of  these  barrels,  for  some  time,  until  he 
comes  to  a  large  stone-floored  apart- 
ment, wherein  are  to  be  seen  large  square 
leaden  cases,  resembling  those  used  at 
vitriol  and  sulphuric  acid  works.  Each 
of  these  holds  twenty  thousand  bags 
of  one  thousand  francs,  and  the  whole 
are  soldered  up  hermetically  within  the 
cases — several  of  these,  it  appears,  not 
having  been  opened  for  nearly  forty 
years,  and  wiU  probably  remain  en- 
tombed one  hundred  years  longer — ^the 
last  of  the  stock  to  be  disposed  of  or 
dipped  into.  In  these  leaden  reservoirs 
the  treasure  of  the  Bank  of  France  is 
kept  perfectly  dry,  and  free  also  from 
any  variation  of  temperature.  The 
stairs  reaching  to  these  regions  of  Plu- 
tus  are  narrow,  and  admit  of  only  one 
person  at  a  time,  ascending  or  descend- 
ing with  a  candle.  This  has  been  ex- 
pressly contrived  for  protection  and 
defence  from  insurgent  mobs.  In  one 
of  the  treasure  vaults  are  the  precious 
deposits  of  the  Rothschilds,  and  other 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


63 


wealthy  capitalists,  left  for  safety  with 
the  bank. 


"Confidence  "  in  Hard  Times. 

A  LITTLE  Frenchman  loaned  a  mer- 
chant five  thousand  dollars,  when  times 
were  good.  He  called  at  the  counting 
house  on  the  times  becoming  "  hard," 
in  a  state  of  agitation  not  easily  de- 
scribed. 

"  How  do  you  do  ? "  inquired  the 
merchant. 

"  Sick — very  sick,"  replied  monsieur. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? " 

"  De  times  is  de  matter." 

^'■Betimes? — what  disease  is  that?" 

"  De  malaide  vat  break  all  de  mar- 
chants,  ver  much." 

"  Ah — the  times,  eh  ?  "Well,  they  are 
bad,  very  bad,  sure  enough ;  but  how 
do  they  affect  you  ? " 

"  Vy,  monsieur,  I  lose  de  confidence." 

"  In  whom  ? " 

"  In  everybody." 

"  Not  in  me,  I  hope  ?  " 

"Pardonnez  moi,  monsieur;  but  I 
do  not  know  who  to  trust  ^  present, 
when  all  de  marchants  break  several 
tinies,  all  to  pieces." 

"Then  I  presume  you  want  your 
money  ? " 

"  Oui,  monsieur,  I  starve  for  want 
of  VargenV 

»  Can't  you  do  without  it  ?  " 

"  No,  monsieur,  I  must  have  him." 

"  You  must  ? " 

"  Oui,  monsieur,"  said  little  dimity 
breeches,  turning  pale  with  apprehen- 
sion for  the  safety  of  his  money. 

"  And  you  can't  do  without  it  ? " 

"  No,  monsieur,  not  von  other  leetle 
moment  longare." 

The  merchant  reached  his  bank  book, 
drew  a  check  on  the  good  old  "  Con- 
tinental" for  the  amount,  and  handed 
it  to  his  visitor. 

"  Vat  is  dis,  monsieur  ? " 

"  A  check  for  five  thousand  dollars, 
with  the  interest." 

"Is  it  bon?"  said  the  Frenchman, 
with  amazement. 


"  Certainly." 

"  Have  you  de  Vargent  in  de  bank  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"And  is  it  parfaitement  convenient 
to  pay  de  same  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly.  What  astonishes 
you  ? " 

"  Vy,  dat  you  have  got  him  in  dees 
times." 

"  Oh,  yes,  and  I  have  plenty  more. 
I  owe  nothing  that  I  cannot  pay  at  a 
moment's  notice." 

The  Frenchman  was  perplexed. 

"Monsieur,  you  shall  do  me  von 
leetle  favor,  eh  ?  " 

"  With  all  my  heart." 

"Veil,  monsieur,  you  shall  keep  de 
Vargent  for  me  some  leetle  year  lon- 
ger." 

"  Why,  I  thought  you  wanted  it ! " 

"  Tout  au  contraire.  I  no  vant  de 
Vargent.  I  vant  de  grand  confidence. 
Suppose  you  no  got  de  money,  den  I 
vant  him  ver  much — suppose  you  got 
him,  den  I  no  vant  him  at  all.  Vous 
comprenez,  eh  ?  " 

After  some  further  conference,  the 
little  Frenchman  prevailed  upon  the 
merchant  to  retain  the  money,  and  left 
the  counting-house  with  a  light  heart, 
and  a  countenance  very  diflferent  from 
the  one  he  wore  when  he  entered.  His 
conjidence  was  restored — he  did  not 
stand  in  need  of  the  money.    That's  all. 


Pursuit  of  Specie  tinder  Difficulties. 

An  anecdote  of  a  somewhat  lively 
character  is  given  of  a  Cincinnati  bro- 
ker, who  favored  the  banks  of  La- 
fayette, Ind.,  during  a  financial  excite- 
ment. The  broker  had  with  him  about 
$2,500  in  bills  on  the  old  State  Bank, 
and  some  $4,500  on  the  Bank  of  the 
State.  He  stepped  into  the  latter,  and 
his  eye  brightened  at  the  prospect  of 
the  yellow  boys  ranged  in  tempting 
piles  before  him,  every  dollar  worth  ten 
per  cent,  premium.  He  presented  his 
notes,  and  the  cashier  recognizing  him 
as  one  of  the  Cincinnati  sharks,  took  up 


64 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


a  bag  of  silver  specially  reserved  for 
such  chaps,  and  commenced  redeeming 
one  bill  at  a  time.  The  broker  expos- 
tulated. He  wanted  gold — oflFered  to 
make  a  slight  discount;  but  no,  the 
cashier  told  him  that  the  notes  were 
worth  one  hundred  cents  to  the  dollar, 
and  he  proposed  to  redeem  them  in 
Uncle  Sam's  currency  at  that  figure. 
He  refused  to  take  the  silver,  and  de- 
positing the  red  backs  in  an  old  carpet 
sack  that  looked  as  though  it  could  a 
tale  unfold  of  many  a  "  run,"  the  dis- 
comfited broker  wended  his  way  to  the 
old  State  Bank,  He  presented  his 
packages,  marked  "  |2,500,"  and  de- 
manded the  specie.  The  cashier  of  this 
bank  promptly  put  Jiu  hook  into  the 
broker's  nostrils,  by  setting  out  a  couple 
of  bags  fiUed  with  dimes  and  half- 
dimes.  Mr.  Broker  thus  finding  "a 
spider  in  his  cake"  here  also,  turned 
upon  his  heel  in  disgust — if  not  a  bet- 
ter man,  at  least  better  "  posted." 


Specie  in  the  Brokers'  Windows. 

It  has  been  said  that  next  to  owning 
gold,  the  highest  pleasure  in  life  is  look- 
ing at  it.  Acting  on  this  idea,  espe- 
cially in  times  when  specie  circulates 
scantily,  knots  of  people  stand,  shoul- 
der to  shoulder,  at  the  windows  of  the 
exchange  brokers,  and  feast  their  greedy 
eyes  with  gold. 

There  it  is,  spread  out  in  a  flat, 
careless  heap,  with  an  ingpoious  affec- 
tation of  profusion.  Looking  at  it, 
tossed  recklessly  on  the  black  velvet,  as 
if  thrown  out  of  a  shovel,  one  would 
hardly  think  that  the  owners  attached 
much  value  to  it.  Its  tempting  abund- 
ance calls  up  visions  of  great  vaults  full 
of  gold  in  the  back  office.  The  display 
in  the  window  seems  but  a  sample  of 
tons  more,  which  can  be  heard  of  by 
inquiring  within.  This  is  a  high  in- 
stance of  art  concealing  art.  The  in- 
tention of  the  broker  is  to  express  the 
idea  of  boundless  resources,  and  he 
does  it.    If  he  arranged  the  gold  in  his 


window,  in  the  shape  of  a  cornucopia, 
or  piled  it  up  in  little  uniform  columns, 
set  like  the  squares  of  a  checker-board, 
the  illusion  of  imtold  wealth  would  at 
once  be  dispelled.  The  gazers  on  the 
sidewalk  would  say,  or  think,  "This 
is  all  the  gold  the  man  has.  He  is 
showing  it  off  to  the  best  advantage." 
So  it  seems  that  the  arrangement  of 
gold  in  a  broker's  window,  like  the 
tying  of  a  cravat,  must  be  done  with  a 
certain  studied  carelessness,  or  it  will 
fall  short  of  a  perfect  success. 

Some  brokers,  who  have  investigated 
the  subject  with  that  attention  which 
it  deserves,  as  a  legitimate  department 
of  the  fine  arts,  obtain  an  admirable 
effect  by  scattering  twenty-dollar  gold 
pieces  carelessly  at  the  bottom  of  the 
heap,  barely  allowing  the  milled  edge 
of  the  ground  periphery  to  stick  out 
from  the  mass  of  smaller  coins  above 
and  around.  The  sidewalk  man  recog- 
nizes the  sublime  double  eagle  of  the 
national  currency  at  once.  Perhaps  he 
owned  one  like  it  years  ago — or,  more 
probably,  he  was  slightly  acquainted 
with  some  other  man  that  once  had 
one.  At  any  rate,  he  has  seen  a  twenty- 
dollar  gold  piece  somewhere  before, 
and  its  majestic  outline  is  stamped  upon 
his  memory.  From  seeing  these  double 
eagles  peeping  out  here  and  there, 
among  the  sprawling  mass  of  coins,  he 
derives,  by  a  natural  logical  process,  an 
impression  of  Ophirs  and  Golcondas 
within,  which  ten  times  the  number 
of  the  same  huge  unattainable  pieces 
would  fail  to  create,  if  geometrically 
adjusted  in  cylindrical  piles. 


Loss  of  Bank  Notes. 

The  old  Bank  of  the  United  States 
was  chartered  in  1791,  and  continued 
in  active  business  operation  during  a 
period  of  twenty  years.  Its  circulation 
never  exceeded  twenty  millions.  In 
1823,  by  decree  of  court,  the  trustees 
of  the  bank  were  formally  released  from 
any  obligation  to  redeem  outstanding 


BUSINESS  PUKSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


65 


bills,  as  twelve  years  liad  elapsed  from 
the  expiration  of  the  charter ;  and  no- 
tice, by  public  advertisements,  had 
been  widely  spread  for  seven  years, — 
sufficient  to  meet  almost  every  ordi- 
nary case,  it  would  seem.  The  notes 
then  unredeemed  amounted  to  the  large 
sum  of  1205,000.  A  fund  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars  was  reserved  for  instances 
of  peculiar  hardship  that  might  in  fu- 
ture turn  up ;  but  the  whole  presented 
did  not  exceed  eleven  hundred  dollars, 
of  which  the  greater  part  was  in  the 
hands  of  an  invalid  revolutionary  sol- 
dier, and  liquidated  in  1835.  A  note 
of  ten  dollars,  however,  was  redeemed 
a  short  time  since. 


Iiafitte  in  a  Tight  Place. 

The  ancient  and  close  connection 
between  the  banking  houses  of  Lafitte 
of  Paris  and  Coutts  &  Co.  of  London, 
who  were  intrusted  with  the  wealth  of 
the  highest  and  richest  nobles  in  Eng- 
land, had  brought  into  their  hands  an 
immense  capital,  belonging  to  English 
travellers  in  France  and  Italy.  Many 
of  the  travellers  had  settled  in  those 
countries,  leaving  their  money  in  La- 
fitte's  hands. 

It  was  the  common  calculation,  that 
fifty  thousand  Englishmen  were  living 
in  France ;  and  that  if  each  were  to 
spend  but  ten  francs  a  day,  fifteen  mil- 
lions of  francs  a  month,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  millions  a  year,  of 
English  gold,  would  be  spent  in 
France.  It  is  evident,  that  if  one-third 
of  these  people,  or  even  fewer,  were  to 
leave  their  funds  in  Lafitte's  hands,  it 
would  make  up  a  capital  far  beyond 
the  need  of  his  banking  business,  and 
so  his  own  capital  might  be  untouched. 
But,  in  order  to  make  it  lucrative,  La- 
fitte had  loaned  it  on  mortgages  of 
every  sort,  had  invested  it  in  factories, 
had  bought  real  estate,  forests,  etc.,  so 
that  it  was  no  longer  of  use  in  his  busi- 
ness, but  the  foreign  capital  served  for 
his  operations.  The  July  revolution 
5 


alarmed  most  of  the  English  in  France ; 
they  departed,  and  drew  their  money 
from  the  banker.  This  emigration  be- 
came stronger  every  day,  and  emptied 
the  portfolios  and  chests  of  the  house. 

For  the  first  time,  the  credit  of  the 
mightiest  French  ianJoing  house  was 
shaken,  and  their  embarrassment  was 
notorious.  Then  the  new  king,  Louis 
Philippe,  came  to  the  help  of  his  friend 
Lafitte,  who  had  greatly  contributed 
to  his  elevation,  and  bought  of  him  the 
part  of  the  forest  of  St.  Germain  which 
he  owned,  for  the  sum  of  nine  millions 
of  francs.  Even  this  help,  however, 
was  not  needed,  for  the  storm  soon 
blew  over. 


Ouvrard  the  Banker,  and  Kapoleon. 

Napoleon  once  sent  for  Ouvrard  the 
banker,  ostensibly  on  diplomatic  busi- 
ness. After  a  brief  interview.  Napoleon 
said: 

*'  Can  you  give  me  any  money  ?  " 

"  How  much  does  your  imperial  ma- 
jesty require  ?  "  was  Ouvrard's  answer. 

"  To  begin  with,"  said  the  emperor, 
"  fifty  millions  of  francs." 

"  I  could  get  that  amount  within 
twenty  days,  in  return  for  five  millions 
Rente,"  (of  which  the  price  was  more 
than  fifty-three  francs,)  "  to  be  given 
me  at  fifty  francs,  and  under  the  condi- 
tion that  the  treasury  shall  pay  Dou- 
merc,  whose  creditor  I  am,  the  fifteen 
millions  it  owes  him." 

The  agreement  was  at  once  con- 
cluded, and  the  terms  drawn  upon  the 
spot,  by  a  secretary  of  the  emperor,  the 
latter  dictating  every  word,  and  sign- 
ing the  paper  with  his  own  hand. 
Napoleon,  who  had  made  himself  fully 
acquainted  with  the  condition  of  the 
public  credit  on  the  Paris  Bourse,  him- 
self doubted  the  success  of  this  propo- 
sition of  Ouvrard's;  but  when  the 
great  banker  continued,  for  seventeen 
days,  to  pay  in  two  millions  of  francs 
daily  to  the  treasury.  Napoleon  could 
scarcely  master  his  astonishment.    This 


66 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


was,  perhaps,  the  first  time  that  he,  who 
had  never  known  any  other  way  of  fill- 
ing the  treasury  than  by  contributions 
from  the  countries  he  overran,  and  the 
taxation  of  his  own  subjects,  formed  a 
correct  idea  of  the  power  of  credit. 


IjeaminK  tlie  Currency  in  a  Small 
"Way. 

Of  all  the  close  dealers  among  us,  the 
Dutchmen  live  on  the  least,  and  shave 
the  closest.  It  is  astonishing  how  soon 
they  learn  our  currency.  A  good  thing 
occurred,  however,  in  this  connection, 
with  the  keeper  of  a  small  lager  bier 
saloon,  in  a  certain  neighborhood,  who 
imdertook  to  teach  his  assistant,  a 
thick-headed  sprout  of  "Faderland," 
the  difference  between  "  fivepence  "  and 
"  sixpence." 

"  Yah  1 "  said  John,  with  a  dull 
twinkle  of  intelligence. 

A  wag  of  a  loafer,  who  overheard  the 
lecture,  immediately  conceived  the  idea 
of  a  "  saw  "  and  "  lager  bier  "  gratis,  for 
that  day  at  least.  Procuring  a  three 
cent  piece,  he  watched  the  departure 
of  the  "  boss,"  and  going  up  to  John, 
he  called  for  a  mug  of  "  bier,"  throwing 
down  the  coin,  and  looking  as  if  he  ex- 
pected the  change.  John,  who  remem- 
bered his  recent  lesson,  took  up  the 
piece,  and  muttering  to  himself,  "  Mit- 
out  de  vomans — 'tish  von  sixpence," 
he  handed  over  three  coppers  change. 

How  often  the  aforesaid  was  drank 
that  day,  we  know  not ;  it  depended 
upon  his  thirst  and  the  number  of  times 
he  could  exchange  three  coppers  for 
three-cent  pieces;  but  when  the  boss 
came  home  at  night,  the  number  of 
small  coin  astonished  him. 

"Vat  ish  dese,  John;  you  take  so 
many  ? " 

"  Sixpence,"  replied  John,  with  a  pe- 
culiarly satisfied  leer. 

"  Sixpence  !  Dunder  and  Blitzen  ! 
Tou  take  all  dese  for  sixpence  ?  Who 
from  ? " 

"De  man  mit  peard  like  Kossuth; 
he  dhring  all  day  mit  himself." 


"  Der  teufel !  You  give  him  change 
every  time  ? " 

"Y-a-h,"  said  John,  with  a  vacant 
stare. 

"  Der  teufel  catch  de  Yankees  ! "  was 
aU  the  astonished  Dutchman  could  say. 


Punch's  Money  Vag-aries. 

The  early  Italians,  says  "Punch," 
used  cattle  as  currency,  instead  of  coin ; 
and  a  person  would  sometimes  send  for 
change  for  a  thousand-pound  bullock, 
when  he  would  receive  twenty  fifty- 
pound  sheep  ;  or,  perhaps,  if  he  wanted 
very  small  change,  there  would  be  a 
few  lambs  among  them.  The  incon- 
venience of  keeping  a  flock  of  sheep  at 
one's  bankers,  or  paying  in  a  short- 
homed  heifer  to  one's  private  account, 
led  to  the  introduction  of  hullion. 

As  to  the  imhealthy  custom  of 
"  sweating  sovereigns,"  it  may  be  well 
to  recollect  that  Charles  the  First  was, 
perhaps,  the  earliest  sovereign  who  was 
sweated  to  such  an  extent,  that  his  im- 
mediate successor,  Charles  the  Second, 
became  one  of  the  "  lightest  sovereigns  " 
ever  known  in  England. 

Formerly  every  gold  watch  weighed 
so  many  "  carats,"  from  which  it  became 
usual  to  call  a  silver  watch  a  "tur- 
nip." 

"  Troy  weight "  is  derived  from  the 
extremely  "  heavy  "  responsibility  which 
the  Trojans  were  under  to  their  credi- 
tors. 

The  Romans  were  in  the  habit  of 
tossing  up  their  coins  in  the  presence 
of  their  legions,  and  if  a  piece  of  money 
went  higher  than  the  top  of  the  en- 
sign's flag,  it  was  pronounced  to  be 
"  above  the  standard." 


Banking:  Habits  of  Girard. 

The  habits  characterizing  Mr.  Girard's 
attention  to  business  were  extremely 
regular  in  his  counting  roon\,  and  gen- 
erally so  in  the  bank,  but  not  alwajip. 
On  discount  days,  he  almost  invariably 


-H1^^ 


0/tyra^/-Q^  j^U-  ^/j.  S^f^/^Vf'//  /  Yi'. 


.Vlumoiii  llnitk  X.Mf  ('o.Ninr-Vi.rl< 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


67 


entered  the  bank  between  nine  and 
eleven  o'clock  during  the  short  days 
of  -winter,  and  six  and  nine  during  the 
summer  months ;  he  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  the  despatch  of  business,  and 
would  then  drive  to  his  farm — for 
which  purpose  he  would  order  his  horse 
and  chair  to  the  bank  at  the  exact  hour 
that  he  calculated  to  finish  his  business. 
This  routine  he  generally  followed  up, 
unvaryingly,  throughout  the  whole  year, 
never  deterred  by  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather  or  other  circumstances. 

During  the  first  years  of  the  existence 
of  his  bank,  his  visits,  except  on  dis- 
count days,  could  not  be  calculated 
upon,  but  at  a  later  day,  as  the  course  of 
trade  induced  him  to  abstract  more  of  his 
capital  from  commerce,  the  pleasure  he 
took  in  his  banking  and  financial  ope- 
rations seemed  to  increase,  and  he  then 
seldom  failed  to  examine  his  balance 
sheet  every  day,  and  "  bleed "  some  of 
the  debtor  banks  of  their  specie.  In 
this  latter  operation,  however,  it  is 
claimed  for  him  that  he  was  never  ac- 
tuated by  any  spirit  of  envy  or  hostili- 
ty, but  exclusively  by  the  broad  and 
fair  principle  of  equitable  competition 
— to  keep  down  the  balances  due  him 
to  a  sum  corresponding  to  the  resources 
of  character  of  the  debtor  bank,  as  well 
as  to  check  that  spirit  of  too  liberal 
discounting,  by  which  they  often  ex- 
tended their  business  beyond  the  just 
proportion  of  their  specie  responsibili- 
ty, and  the  ability  of  their  capitals. 

From  the  peculiar  nature  of  a  private 
institution  like  Girard's,  the  harvest  of 
his  business  was  during  a  scarcity  of 
money  in  the  market,  or  a  scarcity  of  spe- 
cie among  the  banks.  His  deposits  bore 
no  i^roportion  to  his  capital,  but  his 
specie  responsibility  always  far  exceed- 
ed, even  in  a  compound  ratio,  that  of 
other  institutions;  so  that,  when  the 
State  banks  began  to  curtail,  Girard's 
bank  began  to  extend  discounts,  and 
this  he  always  did  to  the  utmost  limits 
of  a  sound  discretion,  but  never  to  the 
extent  of  his  ability.    He  never  seemed 


to  evince  any  great  anxiety  as  to  the 
small  or  large  amount  of  applications  for 
discounts.  If  the  ofierings  were  limit- 
ed, he  was  content  to  keep  his  surplus 
funds,  and  draw  specie  from  the  other 
banks,  to  stock  his  vaults  for  emergen- 
cies. If  they  were  ample,  he  discounted 
freely,  and  paid  away  the  specie  he  had 
before  been  employed  in  gathering.  In 
this  resj)ect,  he  seemed  to  have  as  much 
elasticity  of  mind,  as  he  was  distin- 
guished by  eccentricity  of  conduct; 
and,  like  a  true  philosopher,  was  al- 
ways prepared  for  the  loss  or  the  profit 
that  happened  to  him. 

When  the  State  passed  an  act  pro- 
hibiting individuals  from  discounting 
notes,  as  bankers,  he  altered  his  books 
as  they  stood,  and  his  system,  from  that 
of  discount  to  loaning  operations — giv- 
ing the  customer  full  credit  for  the 
whole  amount  of  the  note,  and  the  in- 
terest charged  against  him,  as  a  check 
drawn. 


Timely  Hard-Money  Loan. 
Robert  Morris's  financial  benefits 
rendered  to  our  countiy  were  equal  in  im- 
portance, as  affecting  the  great  issue  in- 
volved, to  the  military  exploits  of  some 
of  the  ablest  generals,  in  tbe  conflict 
then  waged.  At  one  time,  the  public 
safety  absolutely  demanded  a  certain 
sum  of  hard  money,  and  information 
of  this  demand  was  sent  to  Mr.  Morris, 
in  the  hope  that,  through  his  financial 
credit,  the  money  might  be  obtained. 
The  communication  reached  him  at  his 
oflBce,  on  his  way  from  which  to  his 
dwelling-house,  immediately  afterward, 
he  was  met  by  a  merchant  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  with  whom  he  was  in 
habits  of  business  and  acquaintance, 
and  who  accosted  him  with  his  accus- 
tomed phrase,  "  Well,  Robert,  what 
news  ?  "  "  The  news  is,"  said  Mr.  Mor- 
ris, "  that  I  am  in  immediate  want  of  a 
sum  of  hard  money" — mentioning. the 
amount—"  and  that  you  are  the  man 
who  fliust  procure  it  for  me.  Your  se- 
curity is  to  be  my  note  of  hand  and  my 


68 


COMMERCIAL  AXD  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


honor."  After  a  short  hesitation,  the 
quaker  gentleman  replied,  "  Robert, 
thou  shalt  have  it,"  and  by  the  punc- 
tual performance  of  his  promise,  the 
great  public  exigency  was  met. 


liO^o  of  Specie  Pa3rments. 

A  PECULiAK  circumstance  once  occur- 
red in  Mr.  Rothschild's  dealings  with 
the  Bank  of  England,  in  which  the  lat- 
ter may  be  said  to  have  been  essentially 
outwitted  by  his  superior  finesse.  Mr. 
Rothschild  was  in  want  of  bullion,  and 
went  to  the  governor  of  the  bank  to 
procure  on  loan  a  portion  of  their  super- 
fluous store.  His  wishes  were  met ;  the 
terms  were  agreed  on ;  the  period  was 
named  for  its  return;  and  the  affair 
finished  for  the  time.  The  gold  was 
used  by  the  financier,  his  end  was  an- 
swered, and  the  day  arrived  on  which 
he  was  to  return  the  borrowed  metal. 
Punctual  to  the  time  appointed,  Mr. 
Rothschild  entered,  and  those  who 
know  anything  of  his  personal  appear- 
ance may  imagine  the  cunning  twinkle 
of  his  small,  quick  eye,  as,  ushered  into 
the  presence  of  the  governor,  he  handed 
the  borrowed  amount  in  bank  notes. 
He  was  reminded  of  his  agreement,  and 
the  necessity  for  bullion  was  urged. 
His  reply  was  worthy  a  commercial 
Talleyrand:  "Very  well,  gentlemen. 
Give  me  the  notes  I  I  dare  say  your 
cashier  will  honour  them  with  gold 
from  your  vaults,  and  then  I  can  return 
you  bullion."  To  such  a  speech  the 
only  worthy  reply  was  a  scornful  si- 
lence. 


Boman  Honey  Iienders. 
The  Roman  money  lenders  had  no 
newspaper  in  which  they  could  tempt- 
ingly advertise  "  advances  to  gentlemen 
on  personal  security  " — after  the  mod- 
em fashion;  but  they  could  stand  in 
the  Forum,  and  offer  their  shining  coin 
to  the  passers-by — a  more  beguiling 
lure  to  ruin  perhaps,  in  the  (^se  of  the 
heedless,  than  an  advertisement.   What 


spendthrift  could  resist  the  sight  and 
convenient  form  of  the  yellow  metal,  or 
hear  the  clink  thereof  unmoved  ?  No 
stairs  to  mount — no  grim  clerk  to  face 
— no  "  sweating  room "  to  be  ushered 
into, — the  money  amiably  and  inviting- 
ly thrust  under  his  very  nose !  They  had 
a  thriving  business,  those  Roman  money 
lenders ;  legal  interest  was  one  per  cent, 
per  month — and  the  rest  they  knew 
about.  The  penalties,  too,  of  non-pay- 
ment, were  such,  in  those  times,  as  make 
a  very  paradise  of  all  modem  Botany 
Bays. 

Disinterested  Brokers. 

What  would  the  British  Government 
do  without  its  broker?  There  never 
is  a  difficulty  in  the  money  market  but 
he  disinterestedly  comes  forward,  bear- 
ing his  offers  of  relief,  and  spends  his 
fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  pounds  with 
no  more  concern  than  a  school  boy 
would  drop  his  halfpenny  at  the  near- 
est apple  stand.  This  he  does,  not 
merely  one  day,  or  a  couple  of  days,  but 
wiU  go  on  generously  bujdng  for  weeks 
and  weeks  together. 

He  is  the  financial  physician  to  the 
State,  and  no  sooner  does  Government 
feel  a  little  tightness  in  its  chest,  than 
with  the  benevolence  of  a  Rothschild 
himself  he  is  ready  to  relieve  it  by  im- 
mediately applying  for  an  investment, 
— ^the  happy  application  of  which  to 
the  part  affected,  enables  the  patient  to 
exclaim  with  as  much  saltatory  glee  as 
the  dressing-gowned  invalid  in  George 
Cruikshank's  pictorial  advertisement, 
"  Ha  !  ha !  Cured  in  an  instant ! " 

He  is  the  best  friend  that  Madam 
Bank,  the  aged  lady  in  Threadneedle 
street,  ever  had,  and,  supposing  that 
elderly  dame  ever  took  it  into  her  head 
to  marry,  it  would  be  no  matter  of 
wonder  that  the  government  broker 
should  prove  to  be  the  object  of  her 
affection. 

His  wealth  must  be  something  enor- 
mous, considering  the  amount  he  spends 
in  the  course  of  a  twelvemonth ;   and 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


69 


his  frugality  must  be  almost  as  great  as 
his  wealth,  for  it  is  noticed  that  he 
never  buys  for  any  other  purpose  than 
that  of  paying  into  the  savings  banks. 
He  must  make  money  very  fast,  too,  or 
else  has  an  enormous  "  ready  cash"  busi- 
ness, that  brings  him  in  thousands  every 
week  throughout  the  whole  year,  inas- 
much as  it  is  a  stereotyped  fact  that  the 
government  broker  limits  his  operations 
generally  to  buying — for  he  is  rarely 
caught  selling.  This  is  a  proof  of  the 
sure  principle  upon  "Which  he  always 
conducts  his  business,  and  the  conse- 
quence is,  that  the  interest  which  ac- 
crues is  invariably  not  less  sure  than  the 
principal. 

Counting  House  Dinners. 
A  CHARACTERISTIC  anecdote  is  told 
of  Girard,  which  shows  that  he  was  not 
disposed  to  permit  his  appetite  to  inter- 
fere with  his  business.  A  merchant 
had  made  a  large  purchase  of  him ;  and 
after  waiting  some  time  for  Mr.  Girard 
to  send  for  his  notes,  and  not  residing 
far  off,  he  carried  his  receipt  book  and 
waited  upon  Mr.  Girard  to  pay  him. 
As  he  entered  his  counting  room,  he 
found  Girard  at  dinner,  making  his  re- 
past upon  biscuit  and  cheese,  from  a 
small  pine  table,  the  drawer  of  which, 
as  the  merchant  entered,  Girard  opened, 
and  with  a  broad,  off-hand  sweep  of  his 
right  arm,  brushed  in  the  fragments  of 
his  simple  meal — thus  consulting  not 
only  the  economy  of  money,  but  the 
economy  of  time.  It  is  not  supposed 
but  that  the  "  fragments "  were  made 
to  serve  a  prudent  purpose  at  another 
time. 


Securing'  Trustworthy  Bank  OfiB.cers 
and  Safety  of  Capital. 

Credit,  respectability,  reputation, 
rank,  and  religious  exterior  having 
been  proved  to  be  no  pledge  for  the 
probity  of  bankers,  the  public  have  be- 
come very  anxious  to  be  informed  of 
some  definite  criterion,  by  which  they 
shall  be  assured  of  the  trustworthiness 


of  those  in  whose  keeping  they  intrust 
the  whole,  or  most,  of  their  money. 

Since,  then,  the  grounds  of  confi- 
dence in  bankers  above  enumerated  are 
not  to  be  depended  upon,  the  gentle- 
man in  search  of  a  banker  is  reduced, 
by  a  process  of  utter  exhaustion,  to  re- 
sort, for  guidance  in  his  momentous  in- 
quiry, to  physiognomical  indications, 
but  of  these  the  only  scientific  basis  is 
the  system  of  phrenology. 

This  consideration  has  suggested  the 
formation  of  a  new  joint-stock  bank,  to 
be  entitled  the  "  Phrenological  Bank- 
ing Company,"  the  directors  to  con- 
sist of  individuals  whose  heads  are  all 
highly  developed  in  the  moral  and  in- 
tellectual regions.  No  doubt  can  be 
entertained  of  the  soundness  of  the 
principles  on  which  a  bank  would  be 
conducted  by  gentlemen  of  fine  emboss- 
ments laying  their  heads  together. 

Casts  of  the  heads  of  the  directors 
and  other  officers  of  the  bank  are  to  be 
exhibited  for  public  inspection  in  the 
bank  windows  facing  the  street,  and 
another  set  of  them  will  be  on  view 
within,  open,  on  application,  to  all  par- 
ties desirous  of  taking  shares,  or  de- 
positing money  with  the  company. 

As  most  persons,  however,  are  but 
imperfectly  acquainted  with  practical 
phrenology, — in  order  to  facilitate  the 
examination  of  the  development  of  the 
directors,  casts  of  the  heads  of  the  most 
noted  villains  will  be  placed  in  juxta- 
position with  them,  for  the  sake  of  con- 
trast or  comparison.  The  criminal 
heads  will  include  those  of  bankers 
most  recently  convicted  and  therefore 
most  familiar  to  the  public,  and,  if  pro- 
curable, those  also  of  directors  who 
have  eluded  justice. 

The  casts  of  the  heads  of  the  direc- 
tors of  this  new  bank  are  to  be  dupli- 
cated, and  kept  on  sale  at  all  the  prin- 
cipal image  shops,  and  at  the  bank  it- 
self. It  is  submitted  that  this  pro- 
vision for  the  publicity  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  establishment  will  be  far 
more  satbfactory  than  an  ordinary  ad- 


70 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


vertisement  of  the  heads  of  a  banking 
association. 

It  cannot  have  escaped  the  notice  of 
many  persons,  that  bankers  are  very  apt 
to  be  bald.  This  fact  looks  almost  like 
a  provision  of  nature  for  assisting  ob- 
servation so  extremely  important  as 
that  of  the  moral  organization  of  a 
banker ;  and  it  is  not  unworthy  of  re- 
mark, that  "  conscientiousness,"  and  all 
the  other  organs  of  the  virtues,  are  seat- 
ed at  the  crown  of  the  head. 

Pecuniary  particulars  are  to  be  an- 
nounced when  a  certain  number  of  sub- 
scribers shall  have  come  forward ;  all 
that  is  precisely  stated  at  present  con- 
cerning the  resources  of  the  company 
being,  that  it  is  composed  of  capitalists 
with  capital  heads,  and  that  the  ser- 
vices of  Mr.  Bumpass  have  been  secur- 
ed as  provisional  manager. 


Novel  Securities  for  lioans. 

The  great  banking  house  of  Strahan, 
Paul  «fc  Bates,  of  London,  came  to  a 
sudden  and  ignominious  end,  some 
years  ago,  on  its  becoming  known  that 
they  had  been  guilty  of  disposing  of 
securities  intrusted  to  them  as  bankers, 
by  their  customers,  for  safe  keeping,  and 
for  their  use,  but  which  they  had  ap- 
propriated to  their  own, — one  of  the 
highest  criminal  oflFences  in  England, 
and  which  was  formerly  punishable 
with  death.  The  name  of  this  firm  was 
originally  Snow  &  Walton.  It  was  one 
of  the  oldest,  wealthiest,  and  most  hon- 
ored banking  houses  in  London,  second 
only  to  Child  &  Co.,  who  date  from 
1640.  At  the  period  of  the  Common- 
wealth, Snow  &  Co.  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness of  pawnbrokers,  under  the  sign  of 
the  "  Golden  Anchor."  The  firm,  about 
the  year  1679,  suspended  its  payments, 
in  common  with  most  of  the  London 
bankers,  owing  to  the  circumstance  of 
the  seizure  of  their  money  by  that 
most  profligate  and  unprincipled  ruler, 
Charles  the  Second.  On  an  examina- 
tion of  the  books  of  Strahan  «fe  Co.,  ren- 


dered necessary  by  their  failure,  one 
was  discovered  of  the  date  of  1672, 
which  clearly  shows  that  the  mode  of 
keeping  accounts  in  those  days  was  in 
decimals.  It  is  also  stated  as  a  curious 
fact,  in  respect  to  the  nature  and  quali- 
ty of  the  articles  pledged  by.  the  elite 
at  the  loan  houses  of  that  period  (com- 
prising some  of  a  domestic  as  well  as 
rather  comical  character),  that  one  of 
the  entries  in  the  books  in  question 
runs  thus:      "March   10,   1672.      To 

fifteen  pounds  lent  to  Lady ,  on  the 

deposit  of  a  golden  pot  de  cTmmbre.^'' 
The  blank,  it  is  said,  might  be  filled  up 
with  an  existing  Scotch  title. 


Fawning  Money  in  Ireland. 

The  fund  of  Irish  anecdotes  will 
probably  never  be  so  much  drawn  upon, 
but  that  there  will  be  one  left.  Among 
a  portion  of  the  people  of  Galway,  so 
little  is  the  commercial  value  of  money 
known,  that  they  are  constantly  in  the 
habit  of  pawning  it.  A  traveller  visit- 
ing that  place,  having  been  informed 
of  the  fact,  was  so  incredulous  as  to  its 
truth,  that  he  went  to  a  pawnbroker's 
shop  to  satisfy  himself  in  regard  to  it. 
On  asking  the  question,  the  shopman 
said  it  was  quite  a  common  thing  to 
have  money  pawned,  and  he  produced 
a  drawer  containing  a  £10  Bank  of  Ire- 
land note,  pawned  six  months  ago,  for 
ten  shillings ;  a  thirty  shilling  note  of 
the  National  Bank,  pawned  for  ten  shil- 
lings ;  a  thirty  shilling  Bank  of  Ireland 
note,  pawned  for  one  shilling ;  a  £1 
Provincial  Bank  note,  pawned  for  six 
shillings  ;  and  a  guinea,  in  gold,  of  the 
reign  of  George  the  Third,  pawned  for 
fifteen  shillings,  two  months  ago.  Any- 
thing more  blindly  ignorant  and  ab- 
surd than  this,  it  is  scarcely  possible  to 
conceive.  The  £10  bank  note  would 
produce  six  shillings  and  sixpence  in- 
terest in  the  year,  if  put  into  the  sav- 
ings bank,  while  the  owner,  who  pledg- 
ed it  for  t€n  shillings,  will  have  to  pay 
two  shillings  and  sixpence  a  year  for 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


71 


the  ten  shillings,  and  lose  the  interest 
on  his  £10  ;  in  other  words,  he  -will  pay 
ninety  per  cent,  through  ignorance,  for 
the  use  of  ten  shillings,  which  he  might 
have  for  nothing,  and  realize  besides, 
8ome  five  or  six  shillings  for  the  use  of 
his  nine  pounds  ten  shillings.  The 
keeper  of  the  establishment  also  stated 
that  in  many  cases  money  was  sold  as 
a  forfeited  pledge ;  that  a  man  would 
pawn  a  guinea  or  fifteen  shillings,  keep 
it  in  pawn  till  the  interest  amounted  to 
three  or  four  shillings,  and  then  abso- 
lutely and  doggedly  refuse  to  redeem  it. 


Business  Aspect  and  Conduct  of  the 
Bichest  Banker  in  the  World. 

At  all  times  in  the  haunts  of  busi- 
ness, and  especially  on  'change,  Nathan 
Rothschild  was  a  marked  object.  There 
he  stood,  day  after  day,  leaning  against 
his  pillar  on  the  right  hand,  entering 
from  Cornhill.  He  was  a  monarch  on 
'change ;  and  the  pillar  in  question  may 
be  said  to  have  been  his  throne — but  in 
his  case  a  solid  one  of  granite.  No 
consideration  would  induce  him  to  do 
business  anywhere  else,  so  devotedly 
attached  was  he  to  that  particular  spot. 
There,  with  his  back  resting  against 
the  pillar,  and  with  note  book  in  hand, 
he  was  always  to  be  seen,  during  the 
usual  hour  of  business,  entering  into 
transactions  of  great  extent  with  the 
merchants  and  capitalists  of  all  coun- 
tries. 

Little  would  a  stranger,  who  chanced 
to  see  the  money  potentate  of  the  world 
standing  on  the  spot  in  question,  have 
fancied  from  his  personal  appearance, 
what  an  important  influence  he  exerted 
on  the  destinies  of  Europe.  No  one 
could  be  more  unprepossessing  than  he, 
— just  such  a  man  as  the  boys  in  the 
street  would  have  thought  a  fine  sub- 
ject for  a  "  lark,"  unless,  indeed,  they 
had  been  deterred  by  the  lowering  ex- 
pression or  sullen  aspect  of  his  counte- 
nance. He  always  looked  sulky,  never 
indulged  in  a  smile,  nor  even  relaxed 
the  rigidity  of  his  muscles.    In  private, 


his  intimate  fnends  mention  that  he 
occasionally  made  an  eftbrt  to  smile, 
but  never  with  any  marked  success,  his 
smiles  at  best  being  hardly  more  than 
a  species  of  spoiled  grin. 

His  countenance  wore  a  thoughtful 
aspect,  but  his  whole  appearance  was 
that  rather  of  a  stupid,  clownish-like 
farmer  of  the  humbler  class.  His  fea- 
tures were  massy.  He  had  a  flat  face, 
its  conformation  being  peculiarly  char- 
acteristic of  the  faces  of  the  Jewish  race 
of  people.  His  features  seemed  to  be 
huddled  together,  without  anything 
like  regularity  in  them.  His  nose  had 
a  good  deal  of  the  cock-up  form.  His 
mouth  was  rather  large,  and  his  lips 
thick  and  prominent.  His  forehead 
was  of  more  than  an  average  height, 
considering  the  altitude  of  his  face. 
His  hair  had  something  like  a  darkish 
hue,  and  was  generally  short.  His 
complexion  was  pale,  except  where  it 
was  slightly  tinged  with  color  by  the 
weather.  He  was  short  and  thick ; 
though  being  considerably  under  the 
general  height,  it  is  possible  his  pot- 
belly and  corpulent  aspect  generally, 
may  have  made  him  appear  shorter 
than  he  really  was.  He  usually  was  to 
be  seen  in  a  great  coat  of  a  dark  brown 
color ;  and  as  he  paid  but  little  attention 
to  his  personal  habiliments,  his  tailor 
had  no  difficult  customer  to  please — 
that  is,  in  respect  to  taste  and  style, 
though  not  on  the  question  of  price. 

It  was  one  feature  in  Nathan's  con- 
duct when  on  'change,  that  he  never, 
except  when  engaged  in  business,  en- 
tered into  any  conversation  whatsoever 
with  any  of  the  multitude  surrounding 
him.  There  he  stood,  apparently  as 
deeply  lost  in  thought,  and  with  as 
melancholy  a  countenance,  as  if  he  had 
been  alone  in  the  "  vast  wilderness  "  of 
shade  referred  to  by  Cowper,  or  been 
the  "Last  Man,"  described  by  Camp- 
bell. Whether  his  reserve  was  consti- 
tutional, or  whether  it  arose  from  the 
pride  of  purse,  or  whether  from  the 
magnitude  of  the  matters  which  must 


12 


COMMERQAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


have  been  ever  occupying  his  mind — 
or  from  the  conjoint  operation  of  these 
three, — can  only  be  surmised. 


Another  Bank  Project. 

It  has  long  been  a  reproach  to 
roguery  that  it  never  permanently  pros- 
pers ;  a  fact  which  is  owing  to  the  im- 
providence which  generally  accompanies 
want  of  "  principle." 

Numerous  examples  however,  in  the 
commercial  world,  as  well  as  elsewhere, 
prove  that  it  is  possible  for  a  rogue, 
provided  he  be  prudent,  to  get  on  as 
well  as  anybody  else.  And,  as  organi- 
zation is  as  necessary  as  honor  among 
thieves,  an  eminent  pickpocket  has  sug- 
gested the  propriety  of  establishing  a 
Stealings  Bank  to  be  conducted  on 
the  principle  of  a  Savings  Bank,  for  the 
accumulation  of  the  earnings  of  dishon- 
est industry,  as  a  provision  for  the  de- 
predator's declining  years. 

The  direction  of  the  Stealings  Bank 
is,  according  to  the  plan  announced,  to 
be  vested  in  a  chairman,  whose  name, 
for  obvious  reasons,  has  not  been  made 
public,  he  being  the  greatest  character 
in  the  fraternity  concerned.  This  "  gen- 
tleman "  is  to  be  assisted  by  an  imlim- 
ited  nmnber  of  Vices  of  the  lowest 
grade.  The  smallest  deposits  will  be 
admissible,  and  plunder  in  kind  will 
be  regarded  as  an  investment,  and  re- 
ceive a  fair  moneyed  equivalent — where- 
by, it  is  hoped,  an  end  will  be  put  to 
the  extortions  of  less  reputable  estab- 
lishments now  so  numerous.  The  bank 
win  be  open  to  yards  of  ribbon  and 
bits  of  tape,  and  even  to  rags  and 
bones.  To  sharp  shop-boys,  also,  hav- 
ing access  to  tills,  no  less  than  the  foot- 
pad and  highwayman,  this  institution 
will  be  available,  and  will  receive  any 
amount  of  booty  from  the  smallest 
theft  to  the  highest  burglary,  swin- 
dling, or  forgery  transaction. 

No  distinction  is  contemplated  be- 
tween common  thieves,  sharpers.  Funks 
and  pickpockets,  and  those  engaged  in 


mercantile  and  financial  pursuits,  or 
speculators  in  Government  and  other 
official  situations ;  and  thus,  to  all  dis- 
honestly-disposed persons  holding  pub- 
lic or  private  berths  of  trust,  the  Steal- 
ings Bank  holds  out  peculiar  tempta- 
tions and  facilities.  Magistrates'  clerks 
likewise,  and  officers  of  certain  law 
courts,  whose  fees  come  decidedly  im- 
der  the  head  of  impositions,  will  find 
an  appropriate  receptacle  for  their  gains 
in  the  proposed  Stealings  Bank. 


Yankee  Hoarding-  Specie. 

Now  and  then  some  very  remarkable 
cases  of  specie  hoarding  come  to  light. 
A  Boston  broker  some  time  ago  pur- 
chased a  quantity  of  coin,  of  which  the 
history  was  as  follows  :  The  coin  was 
purchased  of  the  heirs  of  an  old  man 
who  died  in  Barnstable  county,  Mass. 
He  was  an  old  resident  of  that  county, 
and  lived  to  be  ninety-four  years  old. 
He  was  the  owner  of  the  Louse  and 
land  which  he  occupied;  but  it  was 
not  supposed  that  he  had  much  prop- 
erty beyond  his  real  estate,  although  it 
was  known  that  he  was  very  close  and 
miserly  in  his  habits.  AJfcer  his  death, 
his  premises  were  searched,  and  specie 
of  various  kinds  found  to  the  amount 
of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Many  of  the 
Spanish  dollars  were  of  ancient  date ; 
but  they  showed  by  their  color  and 
perfect  stamp  that  they  had  not  cir- 
culated much  since  the  coinage.  The 
Spanish  gold  pieces  were  wrapped  in 
scraps  of  parchment,  on  which  the  value 
of  each  was  marked ;  and  the  date  in- 
dicated that  they  had  been  thus  hoard- 
ed for  a  long  period.  In  all  probabili- 
ty, a  large  part  of  this  gold  and  silver 
had  been  in  his  possession  more  than 
half  a  century. 


Oteorge  Feabody's  Colossal  Fortune. 

When  all  American  securities  were 
cast  down  in  the  London  market,  from 
the  unjust  confusion  of  good  with  bad, 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


73 


arising  from  the  repudiation  of  some  of 
the  States,  George  Peabody  made  the 
beginning  of  that  colossal  fortune, 
which  he  has  proved  he  knows  so  well 
how  to  use.  He  made  no  secret,  in- 
deed, of  the  true  state  of  affiairs,  and 
publicly  as  well  as  privately  exerted 
himself  for  the  maintenance  of  Ameri- 
can credit.  It  was  a  sort  of  poetical 
justice,  that  rendered  the  instruments 
by  which  he  proved  to  the  world  his 
confidence  in  his  assertions,  the  means 
of  his  own  exceeding  great  reward, 
in  a  solid  pecuniary  return. 


Oalifomia  Gold  Seventy  Tears  Ago. 

In  the  "  Voyage  Round  the  World," 
by  Captain  George  Shelvocke,  begun  in 
1790,  he  says  of  California:  The  soil 
about  Puerto  Seguro,  and  very  likely 
in  most  of  the  valleys,  is  a  rich  black 
mould,  which,  as  you  turn  it  fresh  up 
to  the  sun,  appears  as  if  intermingled 
with  gold  dust,  some  of  which  we  en- 
deavored to  purify  and  wash  from  the 
dirt ;  but  though  we  were  a  little  preju- 
diced against  the  thoughts  that  it 
would  be  possible  that  this  metal 
should  be  so  promiscuously  and  uni- 
versally mingled  with  the  common 
earth,  yet  we  endeavored  to  cleanse 
and  wash  the  earth  from  some  of  it ; 
and  the  more  we  did,  the  more  it  ap- 
peared like  gold.  In  order  to  be  fur- 
ther satisfied,  I  brought  away  some 
of  it,  which  we  lost  in  our  confusion  in 
China. 

How  remarkably  a  mere  accident 
thus  prevented  the  available  discovery, 
nearly  a  century  back,  of  the  magnifi- 
cent harvest  of  gold  since  gathered  and 
now  gathering  in  California  1 


"liives"  of  Sank  Notes. 

The  average  period  which  each  de- 
nomination of  London  notes  remains  in 
circulation  has  been  calculated,  and  is 
shown  by  the  following  authentic  ac- 
count of  the  number  of  days  a  bank 


note  issued  in  London  remains  in  cir- 
culation :  £5  note,  72.7  days;  £10, 
77.0 ;  £20,  57.4 ;  £30,  18.9 ;  £40,  13.7 ; 
£50,  38.8;  £100,  28.4;  £200,  12.7; 
£300,  10.6;  £500,  11.8;  £1,000,  11.1. 
The  exceptions  to  these  averages  are 
few,  and  therefore  remarkable.  The 
time  during  which  some  notes  remain 
unpresented  is  reckoned  by  the  cen- 
tury. On  the  27th  of  September,  1846, 
a  £50  note  was  presented  bearing  date 
20th  January,  1743.  Another,  for  £10, 
issued  on  the  19th  of  November,  1762, 
was  not  paid  tUl  the  20th  of  April, 
1845. 

There  is  a  legend  extant  of  the  eccen- 
tric possessor  of  a  £1,000  note,  who 
kept  it  framed  and  glazed  for  a  series 
of  years,  preferring  to  feast  his  eyes 
upon  it,  to  putting  the  amount  it  repre- 
sented out  at  interest.  It  was  conveii;- 
ed  into  gold  however,  without  a  day's 
loss  of  time,  by  his  heirs  on  his  demise 
— a  fact  which  can  very  easily  be  cred- 
ited. 

Stolen  and  lost  notes  are  generally 
long  absentees.  The  former  usually 
make  their  appearance  soon  after  a 
great  horse  race,  or  other  sporting  event, 
altered  or  disguised  so  as  to  deceive 
bankers,  to  whom  the  bank  furnishes  a 
list  of  the  numbers  and  dates  of  all 
stolen  notes. 

Bank  notes  have  been  known  to  light 
pipes,  to  wrap  up  snuff,  and  to  be  used 
as  curl  papers ;  and  British  tars,  mad 
with  rum  and  prize  money,  have  not 
unfrequently,  in  the  time  of  war,  made 
sandwiches  of  them,  and  eat  them  be- 
tween bread  and  butter.  Carelessness 
gives  the  bank  enormous  profits,  against 
which  the  loss  of  a  mere  £30,000  note 
is  but  a  trifle.  In  the  forty  years  be- 
tween 1792  and  1832,  there  were  out- 
standing notes  of  the  Bank  of  England 
— presumed  to  have  been  lost  or  de- 
stroyed—amounting to  £1,330,000  odd, 
every  shilling  of  which  was  clear  profit 
to  the  bank. 


Y4 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Bank  Parlor  in  the  Winter. 

The  parlor  of  the  Bank  of  England 
has  always  been  a  place  of  considerable 
"  interest,"  and  has  been  often  de- 
scribed by  those  so  fortunate  as  to  visit 
it.  But  its  aspect  in  winter  has  been 
portrayed  by  only  one  hand,  the  spark- 
ling qualities  of  whose  pen  are  only 
equalled  by  those  of  real  "Punch." 
Of  course,  in  the  cold  weather,  the  fire- 
place is  the  spot  which  first  attracts 
and  holds  the  attention,  and  there  the 
observer  perceives  the  conventional 
mode  of  keeping  the  pot  boiling  by 
means  of  money,  most  strikingly  real- 
ized. A  bank  coffer  fiUed  with  real  coflfee 
rests  on  the  bars,  which  of  course  are 
made  of  real  bullion,  and  the  fire  is  kept 
alight  by  the  agency  of  little  bags  of  a 
material — one  hundred  in  a  bag — that 
may  be  seen  piled  up  in  the  neighboring 
coal-scuttle,  which  is  also  of  the  same 
shiny  material.  On  the  rug  before  the 
fire-place  is  a  little  footstool  with  a  de- 
licious stuflSng  of  bank  notes — an  ar- 
ticle known  to  be  extremely  useful  in 
keeping  people  on  their  legs  and  giving 
them  a  firm  footing.  The  seats  serve 
the  purpose  of  chests  as  well  as  chairs, 
and  are  filled  with  the  national  curren- 
cy— every  seat  in  the  bank  parlor  hav- 
ing a  good  stock  of  the  precious  metals 
for  its  foundation.  The  works  of  art 
in  the  bank  parlor  are  rare,  and  the 
celebrated  drawing  of  a  bank  note  for 
one  million  pounds,  inclosed  in  a  frame 
of  gold — similar  in  style  to  the  bars  of 
gold  wliich  form  the  window  sashes — 
is  the  chief  ornament  to  the  walls  of  the 
apartment. 

Avoiding  Specie  Suspension. 
When  the  combined  influence  of  the 
non-intercourse  act,  the  war,  and  the 
dissolution  of  the  old  Bank  of  the 
United  States,  caused  the  State  banks 
to  resort  to  a  suspension  of  specie  pay- 
ments, in  order  to  avoid  total  ruin  and 
bankruptcy,  Mr.  Girard  became  greatly 
embarrassed  as  to  the  course  he  should 


pursue,  to  avoid  the  drain  of  his  specie, 
and  yet  preserve  his  character  for  strict 
integrity  of  business  dealing ;  but  he 
was  soon  relieved  of  his  inquietude  by 
adopting  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Simp- 
son, a  most  competent  and  respected 
adviser  in  such  matters,  viz.,  to  pay  out 
the  notes  of  the  State  banks  instead  of 
his  own,  which  he  drew  in,  by  paying 
the  specie  for  them  ; — so  that,  at  no  pe- 
riod of  the  most  disastrous  financial  cri- 
sis, was  a  bank  note  of  Stephen  Girard's 
ever  suffered  to  become  depreciated. 
This  husbanding  of  his  resources  subse- 
quently enabled  him,  in  1817,  to  con- 
tribute so  materially  to  the  restoration 
of  specie  payments. 

The  fact  just  mentioned  is  interest- 
ing, as  showing  that  Girard  was  never 
seduced  into  an  imprudent  measure,  by 
the  prospect  of  immediate  profit,  but 
was  satisfied  to  do  what  appeared  to  pro- 
cure permanent  advantage,  though,  for 
the  time  being,  rather  detrimental  than 
profitable.  Most  men  would  have  at- 
tempted to  force  their  notes  into  circu- 
lation, and  redeem  them  when  presented 
for  payment,  with  the  common  circula- 
ting medium  of  the  country.  But,  act- 
ing according  to  the  principle  and 
method  which  he  did,  Stephen  Girard's 
bank  never  refused  to  pay  the  specie  for 
a  note  of  Stephen  Girard !  It  is  also 
stated,  that  only  in  one  instance  was 
his  name  ever  protested ;  but  even  then, 
it  was  not  his  name,  but  that  of  his 
agent  in  Europe,  on  whom  he  had 
drawn  bills,  that  became  dishonored — 
for,  as  soon  as  they  were  presented  to 
him,  after  their  return,  he  immediately 
paid  them. 

Curious  Reasons  for  Borrowing: 
Money. 

Mr.  Peter  C.  Brooks's  maxim  was, 
that  "  the  whole  value  of  wealth  con- 
sists in  the  personal  independence  it 
secures."  An  amusing  and  singular 
illustration  of  that  distinguished  mer- 
chant's maxim  is  thus  given  : — 

A  merchant  named  Porter  once  had 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


IS 


a  clerical  friend  between  whom  and 
himself  there  existed  great  intimacy. 
Every  Saturday  night,  as  Porter  was 
sitting  balancing  his  cash,  a  note  would 
come,  requesting  "  the  loan  of  a  five 
dollar  bill."  The  money  was  always 
restored  punctually  at  eight  o'clock  on 
the  Monday  morning  following.  But 
what  puzzled  the  lender  was,  the  per- 
son always  returned  the  identical  note 
he  borrowed.  Since  the  discovery  of 
this  fact,  he  had  made  private  marks 
on  the  note ;  still  the  same  was  handed 
back  on  Monday  morning. 

One  Saturday  evening.  Porter  sent  a 
five  dollar  gold  piece,  instead  of  a  note, 
and  marked  it.  Still  the  very  same 
coin  was  returned  on  Monday.  Porter 
got  nervous  and  bilious  about  it ;  he 
could  hardly  sleep  at  night  for  think- 
ing about  it ;  he  would  wake  his  wife 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  ask  her 
what  she  thought  of  such  a  strange  oc- 
currence. He  was  fast  boiling  over 
with  curiosity,  when  a  note  came  from 
the  reverend  borrower,  one  Christmas 
eve,  asking  for  the  loan  of  ten  dollars. 
A  brilliant  thought  now  struck  him. 
He  put  on  his  great  coat,  resolving  to 
caU  and  demand  an  explanation  of  the 
mystery.  When  he  was  shown  into  his 
friend's  study,  he  found  him  plunged 
in  the  profoundest  melancholy. 

"  Mr.  B.,"  said  the  lender,  "  if  you 
will  answer  me  one  question,  I  will  let 
you  have  that  ten  dollars  !  How  does 
it  happen  that  you  always  pay  me  the 
money  you  borrow  on  Saturday  night 
in  the  very  same  coin  or  note  on  Mon- 
day ?  " 

The  parson  raised  his  head,  and  after 
a  violent  internal  struggle,  as  though 
he  were  about  to  unveil  the  hoarded 
mystery  of  his  soul,  said,  in  faltering 
tones,  "  Porter,  you  are  a  gentleman,  a 
Christian,  and  a  New  Yorker — I  know 
I  can  rely  on  your  inviolable  secrecy. 
Listen  to  the  secret  of  my  eloquence. 
You  know  that  I  am  poor,  and  when, 
on  Saturday,  I  have  bought  my  Sunday 
dinner,  I  have  seldom  a  red  cent  left 


in  my  pocket.  Now  I  maintain  that 
no  man  can  preach  the  gospel  and  blow 
up  his  congregation  properly,  without 
he  has  something  in  his  pocket  to  in- 
spire him  with  confidence.  I  have 
therefore  borrowed  five  dollars  of  you 
every  Saturday,  that  I  might  feel  it 
occasionally,  as  I  preached  on  Sunday. 
You  know  how  independently  I  do 
preach — how  I  make  the  rich  shake 
in  their  shoes.  Well,  it  is  all  owing 
to  my  knowing  that  I  have  a  five  dollar 
bill  in  my  pocket.  Of  course,  never 
having  to  use  it  for  any  other  purpose, 
it  is  not  changed,  but  invariably  re- 
turned to  you  the  next  morning.  But, 
to-morrow,  Mr.  George  Law  is  coming 
to  hear  me  preach,  and  I  thought  I 
would  try  the  eflfect  of  a  ten  dollar-bill 
sermon  on  him  !  " 


Atchafalaya  Currency  by  the  Cord. 

Capt.  Shallcboss,  of  the  Mississippi 
steamer  Peytona,  is  one  of  the  crack 
captains  on  the  river.  Everybody  knows 
him  and  he  knows  everybody — there- 
fore everybody  will  be  pleased  with  a 
little  story  about  him.  One  day,  the 
Peytona  was  steaming  down  past  the 
cotton  woods  toward  New  Orleans, 
when  she  was  hailed  by  another  boat 
going  up. 

"  Hallo  !  Capt.  Shall. !  " 

"  Hallo  !  "  was  the  answer. 

"  Got  any  Atchafalaya  money  ?  " 

"  Yes,  plenty." 

*'  Well,  pay  it  out;  the  bank's  busted, 
or  gwine  to." 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  Capt.  Shallcross. 
"  Clerk,  have  you  got  much  of  that 
money?"  "About  a  thousand  dol- 
lars, I  reckon,  sir,"  said  the  clerk  of 
the  Peytona.  "  Well,  stop  at  the  first 
wood  boat,"  And  the  Peytona  puffed 
on,  until  a  wood  boat  was  seen  moored 
to  the  shore,  with  piles  of  cord-wood 
around,  and  a  small  man,  with  his 
trousers  rolled  up,  and  his  hands  in 
his  pockets,  shivering  on  the  bank  be- 
side his  boat,  in  the  chill  December 
weather. 


76 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


"  Wood  boat,  ahoy  I "  sang  out  Capt. 
Shallcross. 

"  Hallo  1 "  sounded  the  small  man  in 
the  distance. 
"  Want  to  sell  that  wood  ? " 
Small  man  in  the  distance — "  Tas." 
"  Take  Atchafalaya  money  ?  " 
Small  man  in  the  distance — "  Yas." 
"Roimd  to,  pilot,"  said  Capt,  Shall, 
The  boats  boimd  down  stream  always 
have  to  come  aromid,  with  their  bow 
pointed  up  stream,  to  resist  the  current 
of  the  Mississippi ;  sometimes  they  en- 
counter a  big  eddy,  and  have  to  take 
a  sweep  of  some  miles  before  they  reach 
the  landing  place.    So  it  was  in  this 
instance. 

"  So  you  will  take  Atchafalaya  money 
for  wood,  will  you  ? "  said  the  captain, 
as  the  boat  approached  the  shore. 
"  Tas,"  said  the  small  man. 
"  How  wiU    you   take  it  ? "    asked 
Capt.  Shall, — meaning  at  what  rate, 
"  Take  it  even,"  quoth  the  small  man, 
"  What  do  you  mean  by  even  ?  " 
"  Cord  for  cord,  Captain." 
"Put  her  round  again,  pUot,"  said 
Capt.  Shall.,"  "  and  wood  up  at  the  next 
wharf-boat;  I  reckon  that  some  gabbler 
has  posted  this  fellow  on  Atchafalaya." 


BTuming:  a  Banker's  Notes. 

DuRrNG  one  of  the  rebellions  in  Ire- 
land, the  rebels,  who  had  conceived  a 
high  degree  of  indignation  against  a 
certain  great  banker,  passed  a  resolu- 
tion that  they  would  at  once  bum  his 
notes  which  they  held;  this  they  ac- 
cordingly did — forgetting  that,  in  burn- 
ing his  notes,  they  were  destroying  his 
debts,  and  that  for  every  note  which 
went  into  the  flames,  a  corresponding 
value  went  into  the  banker's  pocket 
and  out  of  their  own.  This  is  what 
may  be  termed  a  genuine  financial  Hi- 
bemianism ! 


Honey  Chancers  in  CMna. 
The  Chinese  do  not  recognize  either 
gold  or  silver  as  cuirent  coin.    Gold  is 


considered  merchandise,  and  its  value 
varies  like  that  of  any  other  precious 
commodity  in  Europe,  As  to  silver, 
it  is  never  coined,  but,  to  forward  the 
ptirposes  of  commerce,  it  is  generally 
divided  into  small  ingots,  which  they 
can  cut  into  morsels,  as  they  choose, 
in  order  to  make  their  payments  exact. 
Thus  all  men  of  business  carry  with 
them  a  pair  of  small  scales,  of  most 
exact  balance,  by  means  of  which  they 
settle  all  their  accounts  by  weight. 
The  changer  may  usually  be  seen  ex- 
amining a  dollar,  and  grasping  with  one 
hand  a  species  of  shears,  used  as  well 
for  testing  as  dividing  the  coin  of 
foreigners.  A  dollar  is  worth  a  num- 
ber— more  or  less,  according  to  the 
course  of  exchange — of  the  small  cop- 
per coins  which  are  seen  threaded  on 
the  changer's  desk.  This  coin  is  the 
only  one  legally  current  in  China ;  it 
is  round,  with  a  hole  in  the  middle, 
and  is  a  little  larger,  but  much  thinner 
than  an  English  farthing.  These  small 
coins  are  called  lees ;  they  are  used 
separately  for  trade  purposes,  or  strung 
in  fifties,  hundreds,  or  thousands.  The 
lees  are  current  only  during  the  reign 
of  the  sovereign  who  issued  them.  The 
head  of  the  reigning  prince,  however, 
is  never  engraved  on  the  Chinese  coin ; 
the  only  distinguishing  mark  is  that 
of  the  dynasty  under  which  it  was 
struck,  with  a  couple  of  Chinese  char- 
acters on  the  face,  and  as  many  Tartar 
characters  on  the  reverse.  The  Chinese 
would  think  it  a  great  mark  of  disre- 
spect to  the  majesty  of  the  emperor, 
as  brother  of  the  sun,  to  circulate  his 
august  eflSgy  among  the  common  peo- 
ple, and  submit  it  to  the  plebeian  fingers 
of  hawkers,  pedlers,  and  fishfags.  Such 
a  degradation  is  not  to  be  thought  of 


Bankers  of  the  Old  School. 

The  London  banker  of  the  olden  time, 
the  successor  to  the  Lombards,  had  but 
little  resemblance  to  the  modern  gentle- 
man who  is  known  by  the  same  title. 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


77 


He  was  a  man  of  serious  manners,  plain 
apparel,  the  steadiest  conduct,  and  a 
rigid  observer  of  formalities.  On  look- 
ing in  his  face,  there  could  be  read,  in 
intelligible  characters,  the  fact  that  the 
ruling  maxim  of  life,  the  one  to  which 
he  turned  all  his  thoughts  and  by  which 
he  shaped  all  his  actions,  was,  "that 
he  who  would  be  trusted  with  the 
money  of  other  men  should  looh  as  if 
he  deserved  the  trust,  and  be  an  osten- 
sible pattern  to  society  of  probity,  ex- 
actness, frugality,  and  decorum." 

He  lived,  if  not  the  whole  of  the 
year,  at  least  the  greater  part  of  it,  at 
his  banking  house,  was  punctual  to  the 
hours  of  business,  and  always  to  be 
found  at  his  desk.  The  fashionable 
society  at  the  west  end  of  the  town, 
and  the  amusements  of  high  life,  he 
never  dreamed  of  enjoying,  and  would 
have  deemed  it  little  short  of  insanity 
to  imagine  that  such  an  act  was  within 
the  compass  of  human  daring,  as  that 
of  a  banker  lounging  for  an  evening  in 
Fop's  Alley,  at  the  opera,  or  turning 
out  for  the  Derby  with  four  greys  to 
his  chariot,  and  a  goodly  bumper  swung 
behind,  well  stuffed  with  pies,  spring 
chickens,  and  iced  champagne. 

The  material  or  architectural  aspect 
of  the  business  of  banking  in  early 
tim?s,  is  also,  to  modem  ideas,  as  hum- 
ble as  it  must  have  been  picturesque. 
Instead  of  the  handsome  apartments, 
the  highly  polished  and  well-fitted 
counters,  and  well-dressed  clerks  of 
the  modern  banking-houses,  there  were 
the  dark-featured  Lombards,  ranged 
behind  their  bags  of  money  displayed 
on  low  benches  in  open  shops,  pro- 
tected, perhaps,  by  occasional  awnings, 
from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. 


"The  Lady's  Broker." 
Most  of  the  leading  men  who  act 
as  brokers  in  London  go  by  nick-names ; 
and  the  way  in  which  these  names  some- 
times originate,  is  quite  curious.  One 
of  the  fraternity  has  been  dubbed  "  The 
Lady's  Broker,"  in  consequence  of  hav- 


ing been  employed,  on  one  occasion,  by 
Madame  R.,  the  lady  of  a  deceased 
capitalist,  in  a  speculation  into  which 
she  entered  on  her  own  account,  and 
without  the  knowledge  of  her  husband. 
The  speculation  turned  out  so  unfavor- 
ably, that  neither  the  lady  nor  her  bro- 
ker could  discharge  their  obligations ; 
and  hence,  as  in  other  cases  where  the 
broker  cannot  meet  the  engagements  he 
has  entered  into  for  any  other  party,  he 
must,  to  save  himself  from  the  black- 
board, give  up  the  name  of  his  prin- 
cipal,— the  broker  was  compelled  to 
divulge  the  name  of  the  lady  speculator. 
From  that  day  to  this,  he  has  gone 
under  the  name  of  the  "  The  Lady's 
Broker."  The  husband,  in  this  case, 
knowing  he  could  not  be  compelled  to 
pay  for  the  illegal  gambling  of  his  wife, 
refused  to  advance  a  single  ferthing 
in  liquidation  of  her  debts. 


Cashier  Inviting:  a  Bun  upon  his  Sank. 

A  BAJNK  that  was  managed  with  great 
caution  was  once  in  what  was  supposed 
to  be  a  peculiar  position,  when  a  friend 
of  the  cashier  called  upon  him,  and  tak- 
ing him  aside,  with  a  grave  face,  said, 
"  I  heard  it  asserted  just  now  that  you 
have  not  five  thousand  dollars  left  out 
of  the  one  hundred  thousand  silver 
dollars  that  were  lately  paid  into  your 
bank,  and  I  hastened  to  tell  you,  in 
order  that  you  may  show  me  your 
vaults,  and  give  me  the  means  to  con- 
tradict the  rumor." 

"  No,"  said  the  cashier,  "  the  rumor 
is  all  true.  What  use  do  you  suppose 
that  I  have  for  the  silver  ? " 

"Why,  to  meet  the  run  upon  your 
bank,  which  must  certainly  come  when 
this  state  of  your  affairs  is  generally 
known,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Let  the  run  come^^  said  the  cashier; 
"  and  by  way  of  beginning  it,  do  you 
go  into  the  street,  collect  all  of  our 
bills  that  you  can  find,  and  bring  them 
to  me,  and  I  promise  to  give  you  the 
hard  dollars  for  them." 


78 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


After  some  time,  his  friend  returned 
to  say  that  he  had  not  been  able  to- find 
any  of  the  bills  of  that  particular  bank, 
excepting  a  solitary  one  for  five  dollars, 
for  which  the  silver  was  immediately 
offered  him. 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  cashier,  "  almost 
all  the  bills  that  I  have  issued  have 
already  been  sent  in,  and  I  have  paid 
out  the  silver  for  them.  But  in  doing 
so,  I  have  emptied  most  of  these  boxes 
of  dollars.  The  money  was  given  me  to 
lend ;  and  I  have  lent  it  for  about  four 
months.  But  I  could  not  lend  and  keep 
it  too.  I  have,  therefore,  very  little 
gold  or  silver  in  the  vaults.  So  lon^ 
as  I  have  the  small  amount  that  is 
necessary  to  redeem  the  few  bills  that 
remain  out,  and  the  two  thousand  dol- 
lars which  I  have  earned  for  the  stock- 
holders, I  am  easy.  You  may  go  back 
to  the  street,  if  you  will,  and  defy  the 
world  to  break  our  bank.  We  shall 
lend  nothing  more  until  the  promissory 
notes  that  we  have  taken  as  security 
begin  to  fall  due.  As  they  are  paid  in, 
with  hard  dollars,  or  the  bills  of  other 
banks,  we  shall  have  the  means  to  lend 
money  again." 


Obtaining:  Security  to  be  a  Broker. 

Among  the  political  opponents  of 
George  Hudson,  the  English  railway 
monarch,  when  at  York,  was  one  who, 
when  riches  were  discovered  by  him  to 
be  so  easily  realized  on  the  stock  ex- 
change, sought  the  great  metropolis  to 
make  his  fortune,  as  others  had,  by  be- 
coming a  broker.  To  London  he  went. 
But  to  be  a  member  of  the  money  mar- 
ket in  that  city,  two  sureties  were  re- 
quired ;  and  he  could  procure  only  one. 
The  difficulty  continued,  and  great  was 
his  disappointment.  In  his  despair  he 
thought  of  the  railway  king ;  and,  as  a 
last  resource,  on  Mr.  Hudson  he  waited, 
and  told  his  mission. 

"  You've  been  no  friend  of  mine," 
said  Mr.  Hudson,  bluntly ;  "  but  I  be- 
lieve you're  a  good  sort  of  fellow — call 
on  me  to-morrow." 


The  morrow  came,  and,  full  of  anxi- 
ety, he  waited  on  the  autocrat. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Hudson,  "  it's  all 
settled ;  I've  arranged  everything.   Mr. 

will  be  your  other  security:  go 

to  him  ;  I've  told  him  to  do  it." 

Mr.  Hudson  did  not  add,  as  he  might, 
that  he  had  in  fact  guaranteed  the 
amount  to  the  broker  named  by  him, 
and  was  himself  sole  surety  for  the 
opponent  he  befriended. 


Ijondon  Bankers  and  Banking:  Houses. 

The  oldest  banking  houses  in  Lon- 
don are  Child's,  at  Temple  Bar,  Hoare's, 
in  Fleet  street,  Strahan's  —  formerly 
Snow's,  in  the  Strand,  and  Gosling's, 
in  Fleet  street.  None  date  earlier  than 
the  restoration  of  Charles  the  Second. 
The  original  bankers  were  goldsmiths — 
"  goldsmiths  that  keep  running  cashes  " 
— and  their  shops  were  distinguished 
by  signs.  Thus,  Child's  was  known  by 
"  The  Marygold,"  still  to  be  seen  where 
the  checks  are  cashed ;  Hoare's,  by  "  the 
Golden  Bottle,"  still  remaining  over  the 
door ;  Strahan's,  by  "  the  Golden  An- 
chor," to  be  seen  inside ;  and  Gosling's, 
by  "  the  Three  Squirrels,"  still  promi- 
nent in  the  ironwork  of  their  windows 
toward  the  street. 

The  founder  of  Child's  celebrated 
house  was  John  Backwell,  an  alderman 
of  the  city  of  London,  ruined  by  the 
shutting  up  of  the  Exchequer  in  the 
reign  of  Charles  the  Second.  Stone 
and  Martin's,  in  Lombard  street,  is  said 
to  have  been  founded  by  Sir  Thomas 
Gresham,  and  the  grasshopper  sign  of 
the  Gresham  family  was  preserved  in 
the  banking  house  till  late  in  the  last 
century. 

Of  the  west-end  banking  houses, 
Drummond's,  at  Charing-cross,  is  the 
oldest;  and  next  to  Drummond's, 
Coutts's,  in  the  Strand.  The  founder 
of  Drummond's  obtained  his  great 
position  by  advancing  money  to  the 
Pretender,  and  the  king's  consequent 
withdrawal  led  to  a  rush  of  the  Scot- 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


79 


"lish  nobility  and  gentry  with  their 
accounts,  and  to  the  ultimate  advance- 
ment of  the  bank  to  its  present  footing. 
Coutts's  house  was  founded  by  George 
Middleton,  and  originally  stood  in  St. 
Martin's  lane,  near  St  Martin's  church ; 
Coutts  removed  it  to  its  present  site. 

The  great  Lord  Clarendon,  in  the 
reign  of  Charles  the  Second,  kept  an 
account  at  Hoare's;  Dryden  lodged 
his  £50  for  the  discovery  of  the  bullies 
who  waylaid  and  beat  him,  at  Child's, 
Temple  Bar;  Pope  banked  at  Drum- 
mond's ;  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montague, 
at  Child's ;  Gay,  at  Hoare's ;  Dr.  John- 
son and  Sir  "Walter  Scott,  at  Coutts's ; 
Bishop  Percy,  at  Gosling's ;  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  at  Coutts's ;  the  Duke 
of  Sutherland,  at  Drummond's;  the 
Duke  of  Devonshire,  at  Snow's. 


Paying  Notes  in  Specie. 

Phtlip  Hone,  speaking  of  the  "  bless- 
ed "  days  of  specie  currency,  says :  "  The 
few  notes  which  were  given  out  by  the 
merchants  and  shopkeepers — and  the 
sequel  will  show  how  few  they  must 
have  been — were  collected  of  course 
through  the  bank.  Michael  Boyle,  the 
runner,  with  his  jocund  laugh  and 
pleasant  countenance,  caEed,  several 
days  before  the  time,  with  a  notice  that 
the  note  would  be  due  on  such  a  day, 
and  payment  expected  three  days  there- 
after. When  the  day  arrived,  the  same 
person  called  again  with  a  canvas  bag, 
counted  the  money  in  dollars,  half  dol- 
lars, quarters,  and  sixpences  (those 
abominable  disturbers  of  the  people's 
peace — bank  notes  being  scarcely 
known  in  those  days),  carried  it  to  the 
bank,  and  then  sallied  out  to  another 
debtor.  And  in  this  way  all  the  notes 
were  collected  in  the  great  commercial 
city  of  New  Tork,  in  such  a  circum- 
scribed circle  did  its  operations  then 
revolve.  Well  do  I  remember  Mi- 
chael Boyle,  running  around  from  Pearl 
street  to  Maiden  lane,  Broadway,  and 
William  street, — the   business   limits. 


happily  for  him,  not  extending  north 
of  the  present  Fulton  street, — panting 
under  the  load  of  a  bag  of  silver,  a  sort 
of  locomotive  sub-treasurer,  or  the  em- 
bodiment of  a  specie  circular." 


Security  for  a  Discount. 

It  is  very  common  among  business 
men  to  give  vent  to  a  good  deal  of 
grumbling  about  the  illiberal  course 
which  characterizes  banks  in  hard 
times,  toward  their  customers.  An 
imfortunate  customer  of  one  of  these 
institutions  in  Philadelphia,  being 
somewhat  irritated  at  the  picayune  poli- 
cy pursued,  resorted  to  the  following 
desperate  expedient,  to  see  if  there  was 
any  such  thing  as  "  raising  the  wind," 
in  said  concern.  He  drew  a  note  for 
five  dollars  at  thirty  days,  covered  it 
down  the  back  with  first-class  indorse- 
ments from  his  fellow  sufferers,  pinned 
it  to  a  ten  dollar  bill  of  the  same  bank, 
as  collateral,  and  then  ventured  to  offer 
it  for  discount.  That  is  what  Jedediah 
Tompkins  would  call  "  hintin^  rounds 


Jacob  Barker's  Forty  'Kega  of  Specie. 

Many  years  ago  Jacob  Barker  offered 
some  good  business  paper  for  discount 
at  one  of  the  Wall  street  banks,  and, 
when  the  board  of  directors  met,  they, 
after  mature  deliberation,  threw  the 
paper  out,  which  displeased  friend  Ja- 
cob, and  he  consequently  sought  re- 
venge, in  a  professional  way,  for  what 
he  took  to  be  rather  tmgentlemanly 
treatment.  A  few  days  only  elapsed, 
when  Jacob  presented  forty  thousand 
dollars  of  the  bills  of  that  same  bank 
at  its  counter,  and  demanded  the  specie 
from  the  astonished  officere ;  but  never- 
theless it  was  rolled  out  to  him  in  kegs 
of  one  thousand  dollars  each, — the 
teller  of  the  bank  informing  him  that 
they  were  obliged  to  give  him  small 
coin,  five  and  ten  cent  pieces. 

Here  was  a  dilemma,  even  for  so 
bright  witted  and  redoubtable  a  man 


80 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


as  Jacob ;  but  being  equal  to  the  emer- 
gency, Jacob  ordered  the  porter  to  un- 
head  the  casks,  which  being  done,  Ja- 
cob took  a  handful  of  the  coin  from 
each,  and  requested  the  teller  to  place 
the  remainder — which  of  course  re- 
quired, according  to  bank  custom,  to  be 
coimted — ^to  his  credit.  It  was  said, 
at  the  time,  that  it  required  the  whole 
available  force  of  the  institution  to 
count  the  coin,  and  that  many  late 
hours  were  made.  Whether  Jacob  ever 
offered  any  more  notes  for  discount,  or 
applied  for  any  "  accommodation  "  fa- 
vors, at  that  bank — or  whether  he  got 
them  if  he  did, — we  are  only  left  to  in- 
fer. 


Final  Argument  at  a  Bank  Counter. 

On  receipt  of  the  news  of  the  banks 
suspending  specie  payments,  Mrs.  Jones 
hastened  to  her  savings  bank,  elbowed 
her  way  smartly  to  the  desk,  presented 
her  book,  and  demanded  her  money. 

"  Madam,"  said  the  clerk  persuasive- 
ly, "  are  you  sure  you  want  to  draw  this 
money  out  in  specie  ? " 

"Mrs.  Jones,"  said  a  director,  with 
an  oracular  frown,  do  you  know  that 
you  are  injuring  your  fellow  deposi- 
tors 1 " 

"And  setting  an  example  of  great 
folly  to  less  educated  persons  in  this 
community  ? "  struck  in  another  direc- 
tor. 

"  Let  us  advise  you  simply  to  reflect," 
interposed  the  clerk,  blandly. 

"  To  wait  for  a  day  or  two  at  least," 
said  the  director 

At  last  there  was  a  pause. 

Mrs.  Jones  had  been  collecting  her- 
self. She  burst  now.  In  a  tone  which 
was  heard  throughout  the  building, 
and  above  all  the  din,  and  at  which 
her  interlocutors  turned  ashy  pale,  she 
said: 

"  WUl  you  pay  me  my  money — yea  or 
noV 

They  paid  her  instantly. 


Pirst  Jewish  Bill  of  Exchange. 

The  circumstance  which  gave  rise  to 
the  introduction  of  bills  of  exchange  in 
the  mercantile  world,  was  the  banish- 
ment from  France,  in  the  reigns  of 
Philip  Augustus  and  Philip  the  Long, 
of  the  Jews,  who,  it  is  well  known, 
took  refuge  in  Lombardy.  On  their 
leaving  the  kingdom,  they  had  com- 
mitted to  the  care  of  some  persons  in 
whom  they  could  place  confidence,  such 
of  their  property  as  they  could  not 
carry  with  them.  Having  fixed  their 
abode  in  a  new  country,  they  furnished 
various  foreign  merchants  and  travel- 
lers, whom  they  had  commissioned  to 
bring  away  their  fortunes,  with  secret 
letters,  which  were  accepted  in  France 
by  those  who  had  the  care  of  their 
effects.  From  this  it  is  claimed  that 
the  merit  of  the  invention  of  exchanges 
belongs  to  the  Jews  exclusively.  They 
discovered  the  means  of  substituting 
impalpable  riches  for  palpable  ones,  the 
former  being  transmissible  to  all  parts, 
without  leaving  behind  them  any  traces 
indicative  of  the  way  they  have  taken. 


liCather  Money. 

On  the  authority  of  Seneca,  a  cunous 
account  is  given  of  a  period  when  leath- 
er, appropriately  stamped  to  give  it  a 
certain  legal  character,  was  the  only 
current  money.  At  a  comparatively  re- 
cent date,  in  the  annals  of  Europe, 
Fredich  the  Second,  who  died  in  1350, 
at  the  siege  of  Milan,  actually  paid  his 
troops  with  leather  money.  Nearly  the 
same  circumstance  occurred  in  England, 
during  the  great  wars  of  the  barons. 
In  the  course  of  1350,  King  John,  for 
the  ransom  of  his  royal  person,  prom- 
ised to  pay  Edward  the  Third,  of  Eng- 
land, three  millions  of  gold  crowns. 
In  order  to  fulfil  this  obligation,  he 
was  reduced  to  the  mortifying  neces- 
sity of  paying  the  expenses  of  the  pal- 
ace in  leather  money,  in  the  centre  of 
each  piece  there  being  a  little,  bright 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


81 


point  of  silver.  lu  that  reign  is  found 
the  origin  of  the  burlesque  honor  of 
boyhood,  called  "  conferring  a  leather 
medal."  The  imposing  ceremonies  ac- 
companying a  presentation,  gave  full 
force,  dignity,  and  value  to  a  leather 
jewel,  which  noblemen  were  probably 
proud  to  receive  at  the  hand  of  ma- 
jesty. 

— > 

The  United  Job  and  Lazaxus  Bank. 

With  a  view  to  the  special  advan- 
tage of  the  small  and  uncertain  capi- 
talist, the  United  Job  and  Lazarus  Bank 
has  at  last  been  established. 

That  distinguished  British  actuary, 
Mr.  Fitzlocker,  has  calculated  that  the 
half-pence  annually  bestowed  in  charity 
upon  persons  of  the  mendicant  class 
amounts,  on  an  average,  to  no  less  a 
sum  than  £950,000,  Us.  2^.  This 
sum  does  not  include  the  daily  coppers 
expended  upon  the  crossing-sweepers, 
that  may  fairly  be  put  down  at  £50,000 
more,  sinking,  for  the  sake  of  round 
numbers,  the  odd  half-penny.  Thus,  a 
total  is  presented  of  £1,000,000,  14s. 
2ld.  Now,  it  is  well  known  that  the 
mendicant  and  crossing-sweeper  class 
are,  for  the  most  part,  a  thrifty  if  not  a 
penurious  people.  What  is  more  com- 
mon than  to  read  of  the  apprehension 
or  death  of  the  beggar  upon  whose  per- 
son or  body  are  found  rolls  of  bank 
notes  and  showers  of  sovereigns  ? 

It  is  calculated  that  of  the  above  £1,- 
000,000,  not  above  one  half  is  expended 
by  the  recipients  for  board,  clothing, 
and  lodging — leaving  a  fair  margin  of 
expense  for  an  annual  visit  to  a  watering 
place.  Thus,  a  clear  half  million  is  an- 
nually accumulating  in  old  stocMngs, 
imder  worm-eaten  floors,  and  in  all  sorts 
of  impossible  nooks  and  comers  consid- 
ered confBnient  only  to  Plutus. 

Now,  it  is  to  aflFord  safe  and  pecu- 
liarly profitable  means  of  investment  to 
the  provident  classes  above  named,  that 
the  United  Job  (it  is  requested  that 
"  Job  "  be  taken  in  its  purely  patriarch- 
al pronunciation) — the  United  Job  and 
6 


Lazarus  Bank  is  established.  The  per- 
sons most  interested  in  the  successful 
permanence  of  the  institution,  it  cannot 
be  doubted,  will  feel  the  fullest  and 
deepest  confidence  in  the  character  of 
the  concern,  upon  a  careful  perusal  of 
the  circular  containing  the  names  of 
the  officers ;  these  include  such  individ- 
uals as  Messrs.  Crook-fingered  Jack, 
Jemmy  Twitcher,  Wat  Dreary,  Ben 
Budge,  Ben  Booty,  Keynard  Foxleer, 
and  others,  with  Mr.  Filch  as  manager 
and  cashier 


Capital  of  European  Bankers. 
Ajs  actual  report  of  the  general  super- 
visor of  the  books  of  the  several  firms 
of  the  Rothschild,  giving  the  aggregate 
amount  of  their  capital  or  the  sum  at 
their  instantaneous  command,  shows 
that  capital  to  be  a  mUlard  of  francs, 
or  two  hundred  million  dollars.  It  is 
also  stated  that  the  similar  capital  of 
the  two  P6reires  is  at  least  one  hundred 
millions  of  francs ;  of  the  Hottinguers, 
seventy-five  millions ;  of  Mir6s  and  the 
Foulds  still  higher ;  and  the  Duke  of 
Galiera,  at  the  head  of  the  Credit  Mobi- 
lier,  is  held  to  be  prodigiously  opulent. 
The  P6reires  have  created  for  them- 
selves a  new  fortune  by  the  purchase 
of  very  extensive  grounds  within  and 
without  the  walls  of  the  capital,  which 
they  turn  into  streets  and  boulevards 
with  a  certainty  of  the  earliest  and 
most  ample  proceeds. 


Dudley  North's  Opposition  to  Bro- 
kerage. 

The  system  of  banking  or  brokerage 
by  bills  which  was  introduced  in  Lon- 
don in  the  sixteenth  century,  in  place 
of  the  old  method  of  paying  in  solid 
metals,  encountered  much  opposition 
and  clamor.  Old  fashioned  merchants 
complained  bitterly  that  a  class  of  men 
who,  thirty  years  before,  had  confined 
themselves  to  their  functions,  and  had 
made  a  fair  profit  by  embossing  silver 
bowls  and  chargers,  by  setting  jewels 
for  fine  ladies,  and  by  selling  pistoles 


82 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


and  dollars  to  gentlemen  setting  out  for 
the  Continent,  had  become  the  treas- 
urers and  were  fast  becoming  the  mas- 
ters of  the  whole  city.  These  usurers, 
it  was  said,  played  at  hazard  with  what 
had  been  earned  by  the  industry  and 
hoarded  by  the  thrift  of  other  men.  If 
the  dice  turned  up  well,  the  knave  who 
kept  the  cash  became  an  alderman  ;  if 
they  turned  up  ill,  the  dupe  who  fur- 
nished the  cash  became  a  bankrupt.  On 
the  other  side,  the  consequences  of  the 
modem  practice  were  set  forth  in  ani- 
mated language.  The  new  system,  it 
was  said,  saved  both  labor  and  money. 
Two  clerks,  seated  in  one  counting 
house,  did  what,  under  the  old  system, 
must  have  been  done  by  twenty  clerks 
in  twenty  different  establishments. 

Gradually,  however,  even  those  who 
had  been  loudest  in  murmuring  against 
the  innovation,  gave  way  and  conform- 
ed to  the  prevailing  usage.  The  last 
person  who  held  out,  strange  to  say, 
was  Sir  Dudley  North.  When,  in 
1689,  after  residing  many  years  abroad, 
he  returned  to  London,  nothing  aston- 
ished or  displeased  him  more  than  the 
practice  of  making  payments  by  draw- 
ing bills  on  bankers.  He  found  that 
he  could  not  go  on  'change  without 
being  stealthily  followed  round  the 
piazza  by  goldsmiths — as  the  dealers  in 
bullion  were  then  called — ^who,  with 
low  bows,  begged  to  have  the  honor 
of  serving  him.  He  lost  his  temper 
when  some  of  these  friends  asked  him 
where  he  kept  his  cash  :  "  Where 
shnM  I  keep  it,"  he  sharply  asked, 
"  but  in  my  own  house  ?  "  and  turned 
his  heel  upon  the  whole  pack.  With 
difficulty  he  was  at  last  induced  to  put 
his  money,  just  by  way  of  trial,  into 
the  hands  of  one  of  the  Lombard  street 
men,  as  they  were  familiarly  called. 
As  ill  luck  would  have  it,  the  Lombard 
street  man  broke,  and  some  of  his  cus- 
tomers suffered  severely.  Dudley  North 
lost  only  fifty  pounds ;  but  this  loss  im- 
movably confirmed  him  in  his  dislike 
of  the  whole  art  of  "  improved  bank- 


ing." It  was  in  vain,  however,  that 
this  old  landmark  stood  up  and  exhort- 
ed his  fellow  citizens  to  return  to  the 
good  old  practice,  and  not  to  expose 
themselves  to  utter  ruin  in  order  to 
spare  themselves  a  little  trouble.  He 
stood  alone  against  the  whole  com- 
munity. 


Stronerest  Bank  in  the  World. 

The  Bank  of  Genoa,  which  has  been 
in  existence  hundreds  of  years,  has 
perhaps  proved  itself  the  strongest  in- 
stitution of  the  kind  in  the  world.  It 
is  a  remarkable  fact  in  its  history,  that 
its  administration  has  always  been  as 
permanent  and  unchangeable,  as  that 
of  the  republic  has  been  agitated  and 
fluctuating.  No  alteration  ever  took 
place  in  the  mode  of  governing  and 
regulating  the  affairs  of  the  bank ;  and 
two  sovereign  and  independent  powers, 
at  war  with  each  other,  have  been 
within  the  walls  of  the  city,  without 
producing  the  slightest  shock  to  the 
bank,  or  causing  it  to  secrete  any  of  its 
books  or  treasures. 


Financial  Physic 

It  is  proposed  to  establish  an  alto- 
gether new  method  of  inquiring  into 
the  state  of  the  health  of  certain  classes 
of  the  community.  The  following  are 
some  of  the  interrogatories  to  be  ad- 
dressed to  the  patient :  How  are  your 
funds  ?  Let  me  see  your  coupons.  Put 
out  your  stock.  Are  your  dividends  all 
right  ?  Have  you  any  pain  about  your 
bonds?  Any  imeasiness  referring  to 
your  foreign  securities  ?  What  is  the 
state  of  your  com  market  ?  Allow  me 
to  examine  your  shares.  Let  me  feel 
your  scrip.  Have  you  any  sinking  in 
your  mines?  Any  tightness  at  the 
back,  or  hoUowness  of  the  chest  ?  How 
is  your  discount  ?  Have  you  any  appe- 
tite for  speculation  ? 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


83 


Brief  Explanation  of  Banking. 

Old  Mr.  Lefevre,  father  of  the  former 
speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
the  principal  founder  of  the  house  of 
Curries  &  Co.,  illustrated  the  simple  the- 
ory of  banking  to  a  customer  one  day,  in 
a  manner  rivalling  the  best  treatises  on 
that  subject.  The  customer  in  question 
was  one  of  those  men  who  find  it  very 
convenient  to  have  bad  memories,  and 
very  tantalizing  at  times  to  have  good 
ones.  His  account  was  almost  always 
overdrawn,  and  whenever  spoken  to 
on  the  hitch  thus  occasioned,  his  an- 
swer was  invariably  the  same — he  really 
had  forgotten  how  it  stood.  At  last, 
Mr.  Lefevre  watched  his  opportunity, 
caught  him  one  day  at  the  counter,  and 
said  to  him : 

"Mr.  Y — ^  you  and  I  must  under- 
stand one  another  something  better 
than  we  now  seem  to.  I  am  afraid  you 
don't  know  what  banking  really  is; 
give  me  leave  to  tell  you.  It's  my 
business  to  take  care  of  your  money ; 
but  I  find  you  are  always  taking  care 
of  mine,  l^ovf^  that  is  not  banking, 
Mr.  Y, ;  it  must  be  the  other  way.  Fm 
the  banker,  not  you.  You  understand 
me  now,  Mr.  Y. ;  Fm  sure  you  do ! " 


Jacob  Little  and  tlie  Missing  Bank 
BilL 

Op  this  acute  financier,  an  anecdote 
of  the  most  extraordinary  of  his  facul- 
ties— his  quickness  of  perception — is 
related,  as  illustrating  one  of  the  secrets 
of  his  success.  A  man  came  to  the 
counter  with  a  draft  for  $650.  He  was 
handed  at  once  a  $500,  a  $100,  and  a 
$50  bilL  The  man  left.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments he  returned,  saying, 

"  Mr.  Little,  sir,  I  think  you  made  a 
mistake.  That  was  a  draft  for  $650  I 
gave  you,  and  you  have  given  me  only 
$150— and  he  held  out  the  $100  and 
the  $50  notes. 

With  almost  fierce  abruptness — the 
tone  familiar  to  all  who  knew  Mr.  L., 


he  asked  the  man,  "Where  have  you 
been?" 

"  To  the  Bank  of  America,  to  deposit 
my  money,  and  it  was  there  I — ^" 

Mr.  Little  did  not  wait  to  hear  the 
end  of  the  sentence.  Dashing  on  his 
hat,  he  ran  out,  hastened  to  the  bank, 
and  returned,  in  almost  less  time,  than 
it  takes  to  tell  the  story,  with  the  miss- 
ing $500  in  his  hand. 

"  Here,  sir,"  said  he,  to  the  overjoy- 
ed customer ;  "  you  dropped  your  bill 
at  the  bank,  and  if  I  had  been  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  later,  you  would  never  have 
seen  it  again — let  me  tell  you." 


TSevr  Tork  Bankers  and  Western  Court 
Houses. 

That  city  bankers  are  called  upon 
to  loan  for  almost  everything,  fer  and 
near,  is  a  fact  which  none  know  so  weU 
as  themselves.  Occasionally,  however, 
an  incident  like  the  following,  in  their 
experience,  comes  to  light.  The  agent 
of  a  county  in  one  of  the  Western 
States,  visited  New  York  to  negotiate 
bonds,  and  called  on  a  leading  banker, 
with  the  expectation  of  having  the  gold 
shovelled  into  his  pocket,  that  he  might 
go  home  by  the  next  train. 

"  What  do  you  want  the  money 
for  ? "  asked  the  banker. 

"  To  build  a  court  house  and  jail," 
was  the  answer. 

"  And  you  have  called  on  me  for  ad- 
vice?" 

"Yes,  sir.  Knowing  you  to  be  ac- 
quainted with  the  best  houses,  I  thought 
you  could  refer  me  to  them  in  a  favor- 
able manner." 

"  I  will  give  you  my  advice  and  help 
you  willingly." 

"  Thank  you — ^thank  you." 

"It  is  this:  Put  your  bonds  in 
your  pocket  and  go  home.  When  you 
get  there,  take  your  bonds  out  of  your 
pocket,  and  put  them  into  the  fire." 

The  banker's  visitor  opened  his  eyes 
and  mouth. 

"  Yes,  sir,  put  them  in  the  fire.  Then 
tax  your  people  and  build  your  court 


84 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


house  and  jail.  We  can't  give  you 
money  for  any  such  purposes,  and  you 
have  no  business  to  ask  it.  What  do 
■we  care  for  a  court  house  and  jail  out 
by  the  Mississippi  River  ?  This  is  the 
way  with  some  of  you  Western  men  1 
Now  go  back  and  do  as  I  tell  you — 
burn  your  bonds  and  tax  your  people. 
Nobody  here  cares  a  picayune  whether 
you  have  a  court  house  or  not.  If  it 
should  do  no  better  than  some  other 
court  houses,  justice  won't  be  the  gainer 
by  it.  I  think  it  quite  likely  you  would 
be  better  with  a  jail,  and  I'm  sorry  to 
have  to  say  that  I  can't  help  you  to 
build  it." 


Banks  Failing^. 
"  Are  you  afraid  of  the  banks  fail- 
ing ? "  asked  a  Boston  cashier,  as  Mrs. 
Partington  went  to  draw  her  pension. 
"  Banks  failing  ! "  said  the  dame ;  "  I 
never  had  any  idea  about  it  at  all.  If 
he  gets  votes  enough,  I  don't  see  how 
he  can  fail,  and  if  he  don't,  I  can't  see 
how  he  is  to  help  it."  "  I  mean,"  said 
he,  "  the  banks  that  furnish  paper  for 
the  currency."  She  stood  a  moment 
coimting  her  bills.  •  "  Oh,  you  did,  did 
you  ?  "  said  she ;  "  well,  it's  about  the 
same  thing.  If  they  have  money  enough 
to  redeem  with — and  heaven  knows 
there's  need  enough  for '  redemption'  for 
a  good  many  of  them,  and  more  '  grace ' 
than  they  allow  their  customers — they 
may  stand  it ;  but  doubtful  things  are 
uncertain."  She  passed  off  like  an  ex- 
halation, and  the  cashier  counted  out 
$115.17  fifteen  times  while  pondering 
what  she  said,  in  order  to  catch  her 
meaning. 

> 

Spanish  Reals  versus  Spanish  Bonds. 
Rothschild,  though  so  deeply  en- 
grossed in  money  matters,  occasionally 
has  time  to  add  to  his  quality  of 
shrewdness  that  of  being  witty.  On 
being  called  upon  one  time  to  give  a 
good  definition  of  the  real  and  the 
ideal  in  sublunary  matters,  he,  true  to 
his  profession,  answered :    *'  I  caimot 


give  you  a  more  forcible  example  than 
this,  namely — the  '  real '  is  the  current 
coin  of  Spain,  and  a  Spanish  bond, 
which  is  supposed  to  represent  it,  is 
the  '  ideal.' " 


Throwing:  out  Jacob  Barker's  Notes. 

The  bitter  opposition  of  Jacob 
Barker  to  the  renewal  of  the  charter  of 
the  United  States  Bank  is  matter  of 
history,  and  it  came  about  in  this  wise  : 
Although  subject  to  occasional  reverses, 
Mr.  Barker  prospered  greatly  in  his 
business  until  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
incur  the  displeasure  of  Robert  Lenox, 
a  very  rich  Scotch  merchant — strong- 
minded  and  intelligent,  with  a  will  and 
prejudices  equally  decided. 

Mr.  Barker  had,  as  agent  for  the 
owner,  chartered  to  James  Scott,  the 
ship  Live  Oak,  of  Portland,  Me.,  for  a 
voyage  to  St.  Domingo  and  back.  On 
her  arrival  off  the  port  of  destination 
she  found  it  blockaded,  and  was  or- 
dered off,  when,  according  to  custom, 
she  proceeded  to  the  next  port ;  finding 
that  in  the  possession  of  the  slaves, 
they  having  revolted,  the  captain  pru- 
dently returned  to  New  York  with  the 
outward  cargo. 

A  question  now  arose,  whether  or 
not  the  ship  was  entitled  to  compensa- 
tion. Mr.  Barker  applied  immediately 
to  his  friend  and  professional  adviser. 
Gen.  Alexander  Hamilton,  for  advice ; 
that  gentleman  advised  him  to  retain  a 
suflBciency  of  the  cargo  to  pay  the 
amount  of  the  charter,  until  he  could 
advise  and  receive  an  answer  from  his 
employer,  the  owner  of  the  ship.  A 
portion  less  than  the  amoimt  of  charter 
was  in  money ;  it  was  retained. 

The  following  day,  Mr.  Barker's  notes 
offered  for  discount  at  the  United 
States  Branch  Bank,  where  he  kept  his 
account,'  were  all  thrown  out,  which 
was  followed  up  every  discount  day  for 
two  or  three  weeks,  when  Mr.  B.  began 
to  feel  its  effects.  Knovdng  IVIr.  Lenox 
to  be  the  most  influential  director,  he 
applied  to  that  gentleman,  without  the 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


85 


least  idea  of  the  cause,  or  that  he  was 
the  indiyidual  who  had  induced  the 
rejection  of  the  notes  offered ;  named  to 
him  the  liberality  with  which  he  had 
always  been  treated  by  the  bank,  the 
goodness  of  the  notes  offered  and  their 
rejection,  adding  that  he  presumed 
there  must  be  some  hidden  cause  which 
he,  Mr,  L.,  could  satisfactorily  explain, 
if  he  knew  what  it  was, 

"  Yes,"  said  Mr.  Lenox,  "  there  is  a 
cause,  and  if  you  expect  any  more  dis- 
counts at  the  Branch  Bank,  you  must 
deliver  to  Mr,  Scott  the  money  you 
withhold  from  him." 

Mr,  Barker,  astonished  at  the  avowal, 
inquired  if  the  board  of  directors  un- 
dertook to  pass,  ex  parte,  on  differences 
which  arose  among  merchants,  neither 
of  whom  was  of  their  number,  and  to 
enforce  their  decision  against  one  of 
the  parties,  without  having  allowed 
him  a  hearing,  [Mr.  Lenox  replied  that 
he  believed  every  director  at  the  board 
agreed  with  him  in  opinion. 

Application  was  immediately  made  to 
Gen.  Stevens,  Thomas  Buchanan,  and 
other  directors,  who  informed  him  that 
Mr.  Lenox  was  mistaken ;  that  they 
were  opposed  to  all  such  assumption 
of  power,  and  that  if  Mr.  Lenox  did 
not  withdraw  his  objection,  they  would 
not  allow  the  notes  of  his  friends  to 
be  discounted.  One  or  two  opposing  a 
note,  it  could  not,  by  the  rules  of  the 
board,  be  discounted.  On  the  re-ap- 
pointment of  Mr.  Lenox  as  a  director 
by  the  mother  bank  at  Philadelphia, 
Mr.  Barker  sought  his  redress  by  op- 
posing a  renewal  of  the  bank's  charter, 
which  was  soon  to  expire.  This  he 
did  with  untiring  tact  and  energy,  not 
ceasing  his  exertions  untU  the  fate  of 
the  bank  was  sealed  by  a  rejection  of 
the  bill  for  the  renewal  of  the  charter 
by  Congress,  This  was  done  by  a  ma- 
jority of  only  one  ;  and  as  Mr,  Barker's 
half-brother,  Gideon  Gardner,  was  a 
member  from  Naiitucket,  and  voted 
against  the  bank,  it  is  not  unreasonable 
to  conclude  that  Mr,  Barker's  influence 


was  not  small,  in  overthrowing  the  first 
United  States  Bank. 


Establishment  of  the  Bank  of  Engrland 
—Curious  Facts, 

After  much  opposition,  the  Bank 
of  England  was  established  in  1694, 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  act  of  Par- 
liament by  which  the  bank  was  estab- 
lished is  entitled  "  An  act  for  granting 
to  their  majesties  several  duties  upon 
tonnage  of  ships  and  vessels,  and  upon 
beer,  ale,  and  other  liquors,  for  securing 
certain  recompenses  and  advantages  in 
the  said  act  mentioned,  to  such  persons 
as  shall  voluntarily  advance  the  sum 
of  fifteen  hundred  thousand  pounds 
toward  carrying  on  the  war  with 
France,"  After  a  variety  of  enactments 
relative  to  the  duties  upon  tonnage  of 
ships  and  vessels,  and  upon  beer,  ale, 
and  other  liquors,  the  act  authorizes 
the  raising  of  twelve  hundred  thousand 
pounds  by  voluntary  subscription,  the 
subscribers  to  be  formed  into  a  corpo- 
ration, and  be  styled  "  The  Governor 
and  Company  of  the  Bank  of  England," 
The  sum  of  three  hundred  thousand 
pounds  was  also  to  be  raised  by  subscrip- 
tion, and  the  contributors  to  receive 
instead  annuities  for  one,  two,  or  three 
lives.  Toward  the  twelve  hundred 
thousand  pounds  no  one  was  to  sub- 
scribe more  than  ten  thousand  pounds 
before  the  first  day  of  July  next  en- 
suing, nor  at  any  time  more  than 
twenty  thousand  pounds.  The  corpora- 
tion were  to  lend  their  whole  capital 
to  government,  for  which  they  were  to 
receive  interest  at  the  rate  of  eight  per 
cent,  per  annum,  and  four  thousand 
pounds  per  annum  for  management ; 
being  one  hundred  thousand  pounds 
per  annum  on  the  whole.  The  corpo- 
ration were  not  allowed  to  borrow  or 
owe  more  than  the  amount  of  their 
capital,  and  if  they  did  so,  the  individ- 
ual members  became  liable  to  the  credi- 
tors in  proportion  to  the  amount  of 
their  stock.  The  corporation  were  not 
to  trade  in  any  goods,  wares,  or  mer- 


86 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


chandise  -whatever,  but  they  were  al- 
lowed to  deal  in  bills  of  exchange,  gold 
or  sUver  bullion,  and  to  sell  any  goods, 
wares,  or  merchandise  upon  which  they' 
had  advanced  money,  and  which  had 
not  been  redeemed  within  three  months 
after  the  time  agreed  upon.  The  whole 
of  the  subscription  was  filled  in  a  few 
days.  In  Grocers'  Hall,  since  razed  for 
the  erection  of  a  more  stately  structure, 
the  Bank  of  England  commenced  oper- 
ations. Here,  in  one  room,  were  gath- 
ered, with  almost  primitive  simplicity, 
all  who  performed  the  duties  of  the 
establishment.  "I  looked  into  the 
great  hall  where  the  bank  is  kept," 
says  the  graceftil  essayist  of  the  day, 
"and  was  not  a  little  pleased  to  see 
the  directors,  secretaries,  and  clerks, 
with  all  the  other  members  of  that 
wealthy  corporation,  ranged  in  their 
several  stations  according  to  the  parts 
they  hold  in  that  just  and  regular  econ- 
omy." 

A  writer  in  the  QentlemarCs  Magazine, 
speaking  of  the  external  appearance  of 
the  bank,  in  1757,  describes  it  as  com- 
paratively a  small  structure,  almost  in- 
visible to  passers  by,  being  surrounded 
by  many  others,  viz.,  a  church  called 
St.  Christopher  le  Stocks ;  three  tav- 
erns, two  on  the  south  side  (the  Foun- 
tain) in  Bartholomew  lane,  facing  the 
church  there,  just  where  the  great  door 
of  entrance  is  now  placed,  and  about 
fifteen  or  twenty  private  dwelling 
houses.  Visitors  are  sometimes  shown 
in  the  bullion  office  the  identical  old 
chest,  somewhat  larger  than  a  common 
seaman's,  also  the  original  shelves  or 
cases,  where  the  cash,  notes,  papers, 
and  books  of  business  were  kept.  Vis- 
itors are  occasionally  sho.wn  some  notes 
for  large  amounts,  which  have  passed 
between  the  bank  and  government.  In 
the  early  history  of  the  establishment 
any  person  in  the  possession  of  a  bank 
note  might  demand  only  part  of  its 
amount,  and  the  same  plan  might  be 
resorted  to  with  the  same  note  until  the 
•whole  of  the  sum  due  upon  it  was  ab- 


sorbed ;  some  of  these  are  stUl  shown 
— on  the  last  which  came  in  there  was 
only  sixpence  to  receive.  A  bank  of 
England  note  is  never  issued  after  it 
returns  to  the  bank ;  it  is  then  cancelled 
and  destroyed,  to  make  way  for  the 
next  issue.  Whenever  a  note  is  pre- 
sented to  the  bank  the  comer  is  torn 
from  it,  the  number  is  punched  out,  it 
is  cancelled  in  the  register  book,  and 
then  sent  down  to  the  library,  there  to 
lie  for  ten  years,  until  burned  in  the 
yard  during  the  eleventh.  About  one 
thousand  persons  are  employed  in  the 
establishment. 


Bound  not  to  Break. 

The  banking  operations  of  Jacob 
Barker,  when  he  carried  on  business  in 
Wall  street,  New  York,  met  with  much 
opposition  from  many  of  the  bankers 
of  that  locality,  and  they  managed  once 
in  a  while  to  push  Jacob  pretty  close 
to  the  wall.  On  one  occasion,  when 
the  times  were  somewhat  tight,  and 
Mr.  Barker  was  absent,  attending  to 
his  duties  as  a  member  of  the  New 
York  senate,  a  ship  arrived  from  Liver- 
pool with  advice  of  the  failure  of  his 
house  at  that  place.  This  at  once 
caused  a  very  great  run  on  Mr.  Barker's 
bank — on  receiving  notice  of  which  he 
returned  to  the  city,  was  the  first  to 
land  from  the  steamboat,  and  drove 
with  great  speed  to  Wall  street,  the 
carriage  making  its  way  through  the 
crowd  with  difficulty. 

He  alighted  at  the  bank  door,  to  the 
surprise  of  all,  and  to  the  disappoint- 
ment of  his  enemies,  who  were  ranged 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  in 
momentary  expectation  of  seeing  the 
doors  of  the  bank  close.  They  had  not 
heard  of  the  boat's  arrival,  or  of  the 
rivM-'s  being  free  from  ice.  He  was  too 
quick  for  them,  and  remarked  to  all 
how  glad  he  was  to  see  them,  saying, 
"  Come  in,  come  in — come  in  and  get 
your  money ; "  caused  the  back  room 
to  be  thrown  open,  and  additional 
clerks  to  be  placed  there,  with  plenty 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONET  RELATIONS. 


87 


of  specie.  All  that  wished  it  were  sup- 
plied. A  great  number  put  the  notes  in 
their  pockets  and  went  home,  fully  re- 
covered from  their  alarm.  Mr.  Barker 
was  "  bound  not  to  break,"  and,  as  his 
stores  were  full  of  goods — hemp,  sail 
cloth,  iron,  sugar,  tea,  salt,  etc., — he 
sold  a  sufficiency  of  these  at  auction  to 
replenish  the  vaults  of  his  bank,  and 
at  once  returned  to  the  duties  of  his 
office.  Jacob  declared,  with  character- 
istic emphasis,  that  he  was  "  bound  not 
to  break." 


"Weight  of  JSIiss  Burdett  Coutts's  Por- 
ttme. 

The  late  Duchess  of  St.  Albans  left 
Miss  Burdett  Coutts  the  regal  sum  of 
£1,800,000,  or  some  nine  million  dol- 
lars. The  weight  of  this  prodigious 
sum  in  gold,  reckoning  sixty  sovereigns 
to  the  pound,  is  thirteen  tons,  seven 
cwt.,  three  qr.,  twelve  lbs.,  and  would 
require  one  hundred  and  seven  men  to 
carry  it,  supposing  that  each  of  them 
carried  the  solid  weight  of  two  hun- 
dred and  ninety-eight  pounds.  This 
large  sum  may  also  be  partially  guessed, 
by  considering  that,  counting  at  the 
rate  of  sixty  sovereigns  a  minute  for 
eight  hours  a  day,  and  six  days,  of 
course,  in  the  week,  it  would  take  ten 
weeks,  two  days,  and  four  hours,  to  ac- 
complish the  task.  In  sovereigns,  by 
the  most  exact  computation  —  each 
measuring  in  diameter  seventeen-twen- 
tieths  of  an  inch,  and  placed  to  touch 
each  other — it  wovdd  extend  to  the 
length  of  twenty-four  miles  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  yards ;  and  in  crown 
pieces,  to  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
and  one  half  miles  and  two  hundred 
and  eighty  yards. 


Mr.  Biddle's  Wit. 

"  Nick  Biddle  "  was  a  vnt  as  well 
as  a  financier.  During  the  session  of 
the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
year  184-,  a  bill  was  up  appropriating 
a  large  sum  for  continuing  the  State 


improvements.  Mr.  H.,  of  Berks,  an 
honest  but  unlearned  German  member, 
was  very  hostile  to  the  bill,  and  in  fact 
opposed  to  all  State  improvements,  as 
they  involved  such  an  expenditure  of 
money.  He  knew  the  wishes  of  his 
constituents,  but  his  general  knowledge 
was  rather  limited.  While  the  bill  was 
under  consideration,  Mr.  Biddle  of  the 
city  moved  an  ironical  amendment,  ap- 
propriating ten  thousand  dollars  for 
the  improvement  of  the  Alimentary 
Canal.  The  member  from  Berks  was 
instantly  upon  his  feet,  declaring  his 
purpose  to  oppose  any  appropriation 
for  the  Alimentary  or  any  other  canal 
— energetically  declaring  the  amend- 
ment to  be  unnecessary  and  against  the 
wishes  of  the  people.  The  amendment 
was  instantly  withdrawn,  amidst  the 
general  mirth  of  the  members  at  the 
expense  of  the  honest  member  from 
Berks. 


Bankers  Snubbing:  Napoleon. 

The  house  of  Hope  &  Co.,  of  Amster- 
dam— always  remarkable  for  great  in- 
dependence of  character — eflFectually 
checkmated  Napoleon  in  his  presump- 
tuous dictation  to  them  as  bankers. 
This  powerful  house,  which  may  be 
said  to  have  then  stood  at  the  head  of 
the  mercantile  order  throughout  the 
world,  and,  in  Holland,  not  only  felt 
itself  perfectly  its  own  master,  but  con- 
sidered itself  equal  in  financial  matters 
to  any  potentate  on  earth,  and  entitled 
to  occupy  a  similar  footing  with  them, 
could  not  recognize  that  it  was  in  any 
manner  bound  by  an  imperial  decree. 

Yet  Napoleon  was  weak  enough  to 
think  diflferently.  He  had  dictated  a 
letter,  addressed  to  Messrs.  Hope  &  Co., 
in  the  handwriting  of  Mollieu,  the  suc- 
cessor of  Barbe  Marbais,  who  had  been 
removed.  This  missive,  worded  in  the 
language  of  a  master  to  his  servant, 
contained  the  following  words  : 

"  You  have  made  enough  money  in 
the  Louisiana  business  to  leave  me  no 
room  to  doubt  that  you  will,  withovt 


88 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


reservation,  comply  with  any  order  I 
may  see  fit  to  make." 

He  then  sent  this  letter,  without 
Ouvrard's  consent,  by  an  inspector  of 
finance,  to  Amsterdam.  However,  the 
finance  inspector  was  very  coolly  re- 
ceived, and  had  to  come  back  without 
accomplishing  anything.  Soon  after- 
ward, Napoleon  thought  it  advisable 
to  send  the  Baron  Louis — afterward 
Louis  Philippe's  first  minister  of  finance 
— ^to  Holland,  to  explore  the  ground, 
and  discover  what  resources  Ouvrard 
might  have  there.  Baron  Louis  pre- 
sented himself  to  the  Messrs.  Hope,  and 
disclosed  the  object  of  his  visit.  Mr. 
Labouchfere,  the  partner  who  received 
him,  at  once  replied  in  the  following 
admirable  and  high-minded  mercantile 
decision : 

"Whether  we  have  money  in  our 
hands  for  Mr.  Ouvrard,  or  not,  baron,  is 
not  a  matter  for  which  we  are  obliged 
to  render  any  account  to  you ;  and  the 
inappropriateness  of  your  present  visit 
must  have  been  apparent  to  yourself !  " 

This  anecdote  was  related  by  Ouv- 
rard himself,  and  was  likewise  repeated 
frequently  by  Mr.  Labouch^re,  who 
could  not  suppress  his  commercial 
pride,  whenever  he  got  an  opportunity, 
at  this  illustration  of  his  independence 
of  the  man,  at  whose  feet  all  Europe 
bent  the  knee. 


Astor's  "  Secret  Pain." 
Mb.  Astgb  was  compelled,  at  one 
time,  to  repair  to  Paris,  where  he  could 
avail  himself,  for  a  physical  infirmity, 
of  the  skilful  assistance  of  Baron  Du- 
puytren.  The  latter  thoroughly  restored 
him,  and  advised  him  to  ride  out  every 
day.  He  frequently  took  occasion  him- 
self to  accompany  his  patient  on  these 
rides.  One  day,  when  riding,  Astor 
appeared  by  no  means  disposed  to  con- 
verse ;  not  a  word  could  be  got  out  of 
him — and  at  length  Dupuytren  declared 
that  A.  must  be  suffering  from  some 
secret  pain  or  trouble,  when  he  would 
not  speak.    He  pressed  him,  and  wor- 


ried him,  until  finally  Astor  loosed  his 
tongue : 

"  Look  ye.  Baron  !  "  said  Astor ; 
"  how  frightful  this  is.  I  have  here,  in 
the  hands  of  my  banker,  at  Paris, 
about  two  million  francs,  and  cannot 
manage,  without  great  effort,  to  get 
more  than  two  and  one  half  per  cent. 
per  annum  on  it.  Now,  this  morning, 
I  have  received  a  letter  from  my  son  in 
New  York,  informing  me  that  there 
the  best  acceptances  are  at  from  one 
and  a  half  to  two  per  cent,  per  month. 
Is  it  not  enough  to  enrage  a  man  ? " 
This  revelation  of  course  relieved  the 
Baron's  apprehension  of  any  "  secret 
pain  or  trouble  "  of  a  physical  nature. 


Jewish  Perseverance  and  Shrewdness. 

The  clerk  of  an  English  banker  hav- 
ing robbed  his  employer  of  Bank  of 
England  notes  to  the  amount  of  twenty 
thousand  pounds,  made  his  escape  to 
Holland.  Unable  to  present  them  him- 
self, he  sold  them  to  a  Jew,  doubtless 
at  a  price  affording  a  good  bargain  to 
the  purchaser.  In  the  mean  time  every 
plan  was  exhausted  to  give  publicity 
to  the  loss.  The  numbers  of  the  notes 
were  advertised  in  the  papers,  with  a 
request  that  they  might  be  refused; 
and  for  about  six  months  no  informa- 
tion was  received  of  the  lost  property. 
At  the  end  of  that  period,  the  Jew  ap- 
peared with  the  whole  of  his  spoil,  and 
demanded  payment,  which  was  at  once 
refused,  on  the  plea  that  the  bills  had 
been  stolen,  and  that  payment  had  been 
stopped.  The  owner  insisted  upon 
gold,  and  the  bank  persisted  in  refus- 
ing. 

But  the  Jew  was  an  energetic  man, 
and  was  aware  of  the  credit  of  the  cor- 
poration ;  he  was  known  to  be  pos- 
sessed of  immense  wealth.  He  went 
deliberately  to  the  exchange,  where,  to 
the  assembled  merchants  of  London,  in 
the  presence  of  her  citizens,  he  related 
publicly  that  the  bank  had  refused  to 
honor  their  own  bills  for  twenty  thou- 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


89 


sand  pounds ;  that  their  credit  was 
gone ;  their  affairs  in  confusion ;  and 
that  they  had  stopped  payment.  The 
exchange  wore  every  appearance  of 
alarm;  the  Hebrew  showed  the  notes 
to  corroborate  his  assertion.  He  de- 
clared that  they  had  been  remitted  to 
him  from  Holland ;  and  as  his  transac- 
tions were  known  to  be  extensive,  there 
appeared  every  reason  to  credit  his 
statement.  He  then  avowed  his  inten- 
tion of  advertising  this  refusal  of  the 
bank;  and  the  citizens  thought  there 
must  indeed  be  some  truth  in  his  bold 
announcement. 

Information  reached  the  directors, 
who  grew  anxious,  and  a  messenger 
was  sent  to  inform  the  holder  that  he 
might  receive  cash  in  exchange  for  the 
notes.  In  any  other  country,  the  Jew 
would  have  been  tried  as  a  calumnia- 
tor; but  in  England,  the  bank — the 
soul  of  the  State — would  have  lost  the 
cause.  The  law  could  not  hinder  the 
holder  of  the  notes  from  interpreting 
the  refusal  that  was  made  of  payment 
according  to  his  fency ;  nothing  could 
prevent  him  from  saying  that  he  be- 
lieved the  excuse  was  only  a  pretext  to 
gain  time;  and  though  intelligent 
people  could  not  credit  the  story,  the 
majority  would  have  been  alarmed, 
and  would  not  have  taken  their  notes 
for  cash.  In  short,  the  Jew  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  nation  and  its  laws, 
and  he  gained  his  point. 


Sir  Bobert  Peel's  Opinion  of  his  Son 
as  a  Financier. 

Mb.  Peel's  great  currency  measure, 
which  he  caused  to  be  carried  through 
Parliament  by  his  influence  and  elo- 
quence, was  opposed  by  his  distin- 
guished father,  and  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting features  in  the  history  of  that 
celebrated  measure  is  to  be  found  in  a 
petition  from  the  merchants  of  the  city 
of  London,  presented  by  the  elder  Peel, 
against  its  enactment.  After  stating 
that  his  petitioners  were  the  best  calcu- 
lated to  judge  on  so  important  a  point. 


and  that  a  meeting,  which  he  had  at- 
tended for  this  purpose,  was  composed 
of  the  very  men  who  had  so  nobly  sup- 
ported the  government  in  1797,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  say,  in  language  as  feeling  as 
the  subject  was  interesting,  that  '  he 
well  remembered  when  that  near  and 
dear  relation  was  only  a  child,  he  ob- 
served to  some  friends  who  were  stand- 
ing near  him,  that  the  man  who  dis- 
charged his  duty  to  his  country  in  the 
manner  in  which  Mr.  Pitt  did,  did  most 
to  be  admired,  and  was  most  to  be  imi- 
tated ;  and  he  thought,  at  that  moment^ 
if  his  own  life  and  that  of  his  dear  re- 
lation should  be  spared,  he  should  one 
day  present  him  to  his  coimtry  to  fol- 
low in  the  same  path.  He  was  well 
satisfied  that  the  head  and  heart  of 
that  relation  were  in  their  right  places ; 
and  that  though  he  had  deviated  a 
little  from  the  path  of  propriety  in  this 
instance,  he  would  soon  be  restored 
to  it." 


Peeresses  Conducting:  Banking:  Opera- 
tions. 

Two  of  the  richest  bankers  in  Lon- 
don, a  few  years  ago,  were  peeresses, 
namely,  the  Duchess  of  St.  Albans  and 
the  Countess  of  Jersey — the  latter,  as 
the  heiress  of  old  Josiah  Child,  consti- 
tuting the  principal  partner  of  the 
Child  banking  house.  Both  ladies  were 
at  one  time  said  to  be  in  the  habit  of 
paying  periodical  visits  to  their  re- 
spective establishments,  and  are  said  to 
have  been  distinguished  for  the  aflfa- 
bUity  and  good  sense  with  which  they 
sustained  their  positions,  inspected  the 
books,  and  entered  into  general  busi- 
ness details.  But  this  report  was  true, 
and  that  in  part,  only  of  the  late 
Duchess  of  St.  Albans.  She  was  pecu- 
liarly fond  of  showing  herself  at  the 
bank  in  the  Strand,  and  putting  ques- 
tions to  the  partners  and  clerks,  with 
whom  she  was  no  favorite — being,  in 
truth,  somewhat  of  a  bore.  Lady  Jer- 
sey, as  the  representative  of  Sir  Josiah 
Child's  interest,  only  attends  the  bank 


90 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


once  a  year,  "when  the  accounts  are  bal- 
anced and  the  profits  struck.  On  this 
occasion,  the  partners  dine  together  at 
the  bank,  and  the  countess,  as  the  prin- 
cipal partner,  takes  the  head  of  the 
table.  This  lady's  connection  with  the 
concern  has  the  following  history : 
The  last  Mr.  Child  left  an  only  daugh- 
ter, who  was  the  heiress  of  his  great 
wealth,  and  was  married  to  the  Earl  of 
Westmoreland  ;  the  eldest  daughter  of 
that  marriage  was  the  present  Countess 
of  Jersey,  to  whom  the  grandfather's  in- 
terest in  the  bank  descended. 


Kodel  English.  Banker. 

The  model  English  banker  of  the 
present  day,  is  educated  at  Eton,  and 
makes  love  to  lords.  They  borrow  his 
money,  and  laugh  at  him  as  a  "  toady." 
He  enters  the  banking  house  at  twenty- 
one,  and  looks  upon  the  clerks  as  ser- 
vants— as  breathing  copying  machines. 
He  belongs  to  all  sorts  of  clubs.  He 
is  a  great  authority  upon  wine,  horses, 
and  women.  He  keeps  his  yacht,  and 
never  stops  in  town  after  the  opera. 
He  walks  through  the  city  as  if  it  be- 
longed to  him.  He  is  great  in  jewelry, 
and  very  particular  about  his  riding- 
whips.  He  wears  in  winter  white 
cords  and  buckskin  gloves,  and  sub- 
scribes to  the  nearest  "  hounds."  His 
wristbands  show  an  inch  and  a  half. 
He  marries  a  baronet's  daughter,  and 
talks  nothing  but  the  Blue  Book  ever 
afterward.  He  has  a  house  in  Belgravia 
and  a  seat  in  the  North.  His  name, 
too,  is  generally  amongst  the  "  fashion- 
ables whom  we  observed  last  night  at 
Her  Majesty's  Theatre."  He  has  always 
a  particular  engagement  at  the  West- 
end  at  two,  at  which  hour  his  bay  cab 
invariably  calls  for  him.  His  printed 
charities  are  very  extensive — one  sum  al- 
ways for  himself,  another  for  the  com- 
pany. He  is  very  nervous  during  panics, 
and  when  there  is  a  run  upon  the  bank,  it 
is  always  owing  to  "  the  pressure  of  the 
times."    He  pays  his  creditors  one  half 


crown  in  the  pound,  and  lives  on  three 
thousand  pounds  a  year,  "  settled  on 
his  wife" — perhaps,  indeed,  a  model 
banker  of  this  description  never  fell 
yet,  whose  fall  was  not  agreeably  soft- 
ened by  a  snug  little  property  "  settled 
on  his  wife."  The  inference  from  this 
is,  that  the  model  banker  is  a  most 
rigid  cultivator  of  the  matrimonial  vir- 
tues, and  if  he  forgets  occasionally 
what  he  owes  to  himself  and  others,  he 
remembers  to  a  nicety  what  is  due  to 
his  wife.  It  is  only  the  system  of 
double  entry  applied  to  banking. 


I<arg«st  Dealer  in  Commercial  Paper 
in  the  United  States. 

The  late  Stephen  Whitney,  of  New 
York,  is  supposed  to  have  dealt  more 
largely  in  commercial  paper  than  any 
other  man  in  that  city,  and  perhaps  in 
the  Union.  His  habits  of  industry  con- 
tinued through  life,  and  were  a  com- 
mon theme  of  remark  with  those  who 
observed  him  in  his  daily  walk  from 
his  office  to  the  great  moneyed  centre 
of  America,  where  the  price  of  paper 
and  money  rates  regaled  his  ears.  He 
was  a  good  judge  of  paper,  and  needed 
no  one  to  advise  him.  He  touched 
nothing  but  what  in  commercial  par- 
lance is  termed  "gilt-edged,"  and  of 
this  he  purchased  almost  daily  for 
thirty  years.  These  notes  being  made 
payable  to  the  order  of  the  drawers, 
needed  no  other  indorsement,  and 
hence  might  pass  through  a  hundred 
hands  without  this  fact  becoming 
known.  Mr.  Whitney's  bills  receivable 
falling  due  in  Wall  street,  must  have 
been  at  the  rate  of  thirty  thousand  per 
day,  and  his  purchases  of  paper,  of 
course,  were  about  the  same  rate. 


"  Borrow  Honey  P  Borrow  Honey  P  " 

One  of  the  familiar  cries  of  the  Lon- 
don Stock  Exchange  is  "  Borrow  Mon- 
ey ?  Borrow  Money  ? "  a  singular  one 
to  general  apprehension,  but  it  must 
be  understood  of  course,  that  the  credit 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR   MONEY  RELATIONS. 


91 


of  the  borrower  must  either  be  first  rate 
or  his  security  of  the  most  satisfactory 
nature,  and  that  it  is  not  the  principal 
who  thus  goes  into  the  market,  but  his 
broker. 

"  Have  you  money  to  lend  to-day  ?  " 
is  a  question  asked  with  a  nonchalance 
which  would  astonish  the  simple  man 
who  goes  to  a  "  friend,"  with  such  a 
question  quivering  on  his  mouth. 
"  Yes,"  may  be  the  reply.  "  I  want  ten 
or  twenty  thousand  pounds."  "  On 
what  security  ? "  for  that  is  the  vital 
question ;  and  this  point  being  settled, 
the  transaction  goes  on  smoothly  and 
quickly  enough. 

Another  mode  of  doing  the  business 
is  to  conceal  the  object  of  the  borrower 
or  lender,  who  asks,  "  What  are  Ex- 
chequer ? "  The  answer  may  be  "  forty 
to  forty-two ; "  that  is,  the  party  ad- 
dressed will  buy  one  thousand  pounds 
at  forty  shillings,  and  sell  one  thousand 
pounds  at  forty-two  shillings.  The 
jobbers  cluster  around  the  broker,  who 
perhaps  says,  "  I  must  have  a  price  in 
five  thousand  pounds."  If  it  suits 
them,  they  will  say,  "  Five  with  me, 
five  with  me,  five  with  me,"  making 
fifteen — or,  they  will  say  each,  "Ten 
with  me ;  "  and  it  is  the  broker's  busi- 
ness to  get  these  parties  pledged  to  buy 
of  him  at  forty,  or  to  sell  to  him  at 
forty-two,  they  not  knowing  whether 
he  is  a  buyer  or  seller.  The  broker 
then  declares  his  purpose,  saying,  for 
example,  "  Gentlemen,  I  sell  to  you 
twenty  thousand  pounds  at  forty,"  and, 
the  sum  is  then  apportioned  among 
them. 


Peep  at  the  Treasure  in  Threadneedle 
Street. 

"  The  next  room  I  entered  " — says  a 
visitor  at  the  Bank  of  England — "  was 
that  in  which  notes  are  deposited  which 
are  ready  for  issue."  "  We  have  thirty- 
two  millwna  of  pounds  sterling  in  this 
room^''  the  officer  remarked  to  me, 
"  will  you  take  a  little  of  it  ? "  I  told 
him  that  it  would  be  vastly  agreeable, 


and  he  handed  me  a  million  sterling  (five 
million  dollars),  which  I  received  with 
many  thanks  for  his  liberality  ;  but  he 
kind  of  insisted  on  my  depositing  it 
with  him  again — perhaps  because  it 
would  be  hardly  safe,  besides  being 
burdensome,  to  carry  so  much  money 
with  me  into  the  street,  though  that 
was  a  risk  I  would  willingly  have  in- 
curred. I  very  much  fear  I  shall  never 
see  that  money  again.  In  the  vault 
beneath  the  fioor  was  a  director  and 
cashier  coimting  the  bags  of  gold  which 
men  were  pitching  down  to  them,  each 
bag  containing  a  thousand  pounds 
sterling,  just  from  the  mint.  This 
money  seemed  to  realize  the  most  daz- 
zling fables  of  Eastern  wealth. 


Vast  Wealth  of  Crcesus. 

In  our  jottings  of  millionnaires,  it 
would  seem  as  though  these  pages  were 
incomplete  without  some  data  concern- 
ing him  whose  name  has  for  centuries 
and  generations — fresh  down  to  the 
present  day, — furnished  the  standard 
representative  of  vast  wealth.  Croesus 
fiourished  about  the  middle  of  the  sixth 
century  b.  c.  The  prodigious  wealth 
which  he  had  inherited  had  been  in- 
creased by  the  tribute  of  conquered  na- 
tions, by  the  confiscation  of  great  es- 
tates, and  by  the  golden  sands  of  the 
Pactolus.  Perhaps  some  idea  of  the 
extent  of  this  wealth  may  be  formed 
from  the  rich  votive  ofi'erings  which  he 
is  known  to  have  deposited  in  the  tem- 
ples of  the  gods.  Herodotus  himself 
saw  the  ingots  of  solid  gold,  six  palms 
long,  three  broad,  and  one  deep,  which 
to  the  number  of  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enteen, were  laid  up  in  the  treasury  at 
Delphi.  He  also  saw,  in  various  parts 
of  Greece,  the  following  offerings,  all  in 
gold,  which  had  been  deposited  in  the 
temples  by  the  same  opulent  man :  a 
figure  of  a  lion,  probably  of  the  natural 
size;  a  wine  bowl  of  about  the  same 
weight  as  the  lion ;  a  lustral  vase ;  a 
statue  of  a  female,  said  to  be  Croesus's 


92 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


baking  woman,  four  and  one-half  feet 
high ;  a  shield  and  a  spear ;  a  tripod ; 
some  figures  of  cows;  and  a  number 
of  pillars ;  and  a  second  shield  in  a  dif- 
ferent place  from  the  first,  and  of  great- 
er size. 


Mode  of  Conducting:  Great  Transac- 
tions by  Bothschild. 

When  engaging  in  large  transac- 
tions, the  method  pursued  by  Roths- 
child was  this :  Supposing  he  possess- 
ed exclusively,  which  he  often  did  a 
day  or  two  before  it  could  be  generally 
known,  intelligence  of  some  event 
which  had  occurred  in  any  part  of  the 
continent  sufficiently  important  to  cause 
a  rise  in  the  French  funds,  and  through 
them  on  the  English  funds,  he  would 
empower  the  brokers  he  usually  em- 
ployed to  sell  out  stock,  say  to  the 
amount  of  five  hundred  thousand 
pounds.  The  news  spread  in  a  moment 
in  financial  quarters,  that  Rothschild 
was  selling  out,  and  a  general  alarm 
followed.  Every  one  apprehended  he 
had  received  intelligence,  from  some  for- 
eign part,  of  some  important  event 
which  would  produce  a  fall  in  prices. 
As  might,  under  such  circumstances  be 
expected,  all  became  sellers  at  once. 
This,  of  necessity,  caused  the  funds — to 
use  the  customary  phraseology, — "to 
tumble  down  at  a  fearful  rate."  Next 
day,  when  they  had  fallen  perhaps,  one 
or  two  per  cent,  he  would  make  pur- 
chases, say  to  the  amount  of  one  and 
a  half  million  pounds,  taking  care, 
however,  to  employ  a  number  of  bro- 
kers whom  he  was  not  in  the  habit  of 
employing,  and  commissioning  each  to 
purchase  to  a  certain  extent,  and  giving 
all  of  them  strict  orders  to  preserve  se- 
crecy in  the  matter.  Each  of  the  per- 
sons so  employed  was,  by  this  means, 
ignorant  of  the  commission  given  to 
others.  Had  it  been  known  the  pur- 
chases were  for  him,  there  would  have 
been  as  great  and  sudden  a  rise  in  the 
prices  as  there  had  been  in  the  fall,  so 
that  he  could  not  purchase  to  the  in- 


tended extent,  on  such  advantageous 
terms.  On  the  tliird  day,  perhaps,  the 
intelligence,  which  had  been  expected 
by  the  jobbers  to  be  unfavorable,  ar- 
rives, and  instead  of  being  so,  turns  out 
to  be  highly  favorable.  Prices  instan- 
taneously rise  again  ;  and  possibly  they 
may  get  one  and  a  half,  or  even  two 
per  cent,  higher  than  they  were  when 
he  sold  out  his  five  hundred  thousand 
pounds.  He  now  sells  out  at  the  ad- 
vanced price  the  entire  million  and  a 
half  pounds  he  had  purchased  at  the 
reduced  prices.  The  gains  by  such  ex- 
tensive operations,  when  thus  skilfully 
managed,  are  enormous. 


Bank  Teller's  "Varieties." 

Few  are  aware  of  the  perplexing 
difficulties  of  a  bank  teller.  Besides 
the  routine  of  business  in  connection 
with  the  clearing-house,  which  requires 
most  judicious  examination,  the  cur- 
rent business  of  the  day  goes  on  with 
increasing  pressure  from  the  outside. 
So  long  as  he  can  dispose  of  the  appli- 
cations iminterruptedly,  as  they  are 
represented,  the  lobby  is  comparatively 
quiet  and  free  from  obstruction;  but 
even  a  momentary  stoppage  causes  the 
crowd  to  gather,  and  soon  ten  or  a 
dozen  persons  are  waiting  to  be  served 
in  turn.  Expressions  of  impatience  are 
not  uncommon.  The  teller  is  pro- 
nounced "  slow  " — "  iiidifierent  to  the 
convenience  of  the  customers" — "in- 
^competent,"  and  "  tantalizing,"  by  his 
deliberation  of  movement.  Delibera- 
tion is  the  secret  of  his  accomplishing 
so  much.  In  truth,  there  is  hardly  a 
moment  when  he  may  not  be  said  to  be 
doing  two  or  more  things  at  once. 

The  interruptions  to  which  he  is  sub- 
jected are  almost  incessant.  The 
cashier  has  just  received  advices  of  the 
issue  of  a  number  of  duplicate  checks 
by  a  corresponding  bank,  to  replace 
the  originals  which  have  been  lost  in 
the  mail.  He  brings  the  letter  and  list 
of  duplicates  to  the  teller,  who  is  occu- 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


93 


pied  several  minutes  in  obtaining  a 
clear  understanding  of  the  case.  Some 
of  the  originals  might  be  in  the  hands 
of  persons  then  waiting  to  be  served, 
and  he  must  be  able  to  detect  them  at 


"  Will  you  pay  me  this  check,  sir  ?  I 
don't  want  to  be  kept  here  half  a  day ! " 
growls  a  hot-tempered  customer. 

*."  Yes,  sir,"  answers  the  teller,  "  if  you 
will  have  the  discrepancy  corrected  be- 
tween the  figures  and  the  writing." 

Another :  "  How  did  your  exchanges 
come  out  the  day  before  yesterday?" 
asks  a  messenger  from  another  bank. 

"  A  thousand  dollars  over." 

"  That's  lucky  !  Our  teller  is  short  a 
thousand — that  must  be  it." 

"  Well,  if  he  can  establish  his  claim, 
and  no  other  bank  contests,  I'll  pay  it." 

"I  want  five  thousand  dollars  in 
gold  for  that  check — not  good,"  says 
another  bank  messenger. 

The  porter  or  specie  clerk,  who  keeps 
the  coin  prepared  for  such  demands,  is 
absent,  and  the  teller  may  be  obliged 
to  go  to  the  vault  for  it. 

In  the  next  moment,  a  check  which 
had  been  sent  to  another  bank,  through 
the  exchanges,  is  returned  for  a  written 
guarantee  of  indorsement.  If  satisfied 
of  its  correctness,  the  teller  gives  the 
guarantee.  Otherwise  he  pays  the 
money  for  it,  and  returns  it  to  the 
dealer  who  had  deposited  it. 

A  stranger  offers  to  the  teller  five 
hundred  dollars  in  bills,  to  pay  a  check 
which  he  had  drawn  on  the  bank. 
Keeping  no  account,  his  money  is  re- 
fused, but  he  persists  in  an  altercation 
about  it,  to  the  hindrance  of  those  be- 
hind him. 

A  dealer  wants  thirty  or  forty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  coin,  to  pay  duties  at 
the  custom  house.  Another  hands  in  a 
memorandum  check  that  he  has  given 
out,  but  of  which  he  wants  to  arrest 
payment.  Another  inquires  whether  a 
lost  check,  of  which  he  had  previously 
given  notice,  has  been  paid.  A  porter 
from  the  Merchants'  Bank  presents  a 


dozen  notes  of  diflferent  parties  for  cer- 
tification, and  he  is  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  one  from  another  bank,  with 
a  bag  of  gold  which  he  reports  ten  dol- 
lars short,  and  which  may  be  the  occa- 
sion of  some  dispute. 

The  other  clerks  have  frequent  neces- 
sity to  communicate  with  the  paying 
teller  with  respect  to  the  state  of  ac- 
counts, and  he  with  them. 

A  noisy  colloquy  ensues  with  a  dealer 
whose  check  has  been  refused,  because 
of  his  deposit  having  been  credited  to 
another  party ;  and  with  another,  whose 
account  appears  deficient,  because  a 
promised  discount  of  paper  has  not 
been  entered  on  the  books. 

"Here,"  says  Mr.  Bungle,  returning 
a  handful  of  rumpled  bank  biUs  and 
coin,  "  that  money  which  you  paid  me 
is  twenty  dollars  short."  The  teller 
examines  it,  and  satisfies  Mr.  Bungle 
that  the  error  was  in  his  own  counting. 


Baisiner  Money  on  Manuscript. 

In  ancient  times,  manuscripts  were 
important  articles  in  a  commercial 
point  of  view ;  they  were  excessively 
scarce,  and  preserved  with  the  utmost 
care.  Usurers  themselves  considered 
them  as  precious  objects  for  pawn.  A 
student  of  Pavia,  who  was  reduced  by 
his  debaucheries,  raised  a  new  fortune 
by  leaving  in  pawn  a  manuscript  of  a 
body  of  law ;  and  a  grammarian,  who 
was  Tuined  by  a  fire,  rebuilt  his  house 
with  two  small  volumes  of  Cicero, 
through  the  pawnbroker. 


Irish  Banker  Bedeemin?  his  Notes. 

Says  a  sprightly  writer  who  possesses 
a  lively  relish  for  the  humorous  in  mat- 
ters of  business :  I  once  accompanied 
a  large  party  of  English  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen to  that  enchanting  spot,  the 
Lakes  of  KiUarney,  where,  having 
amused  ourselves  for  a  few  days,  we 
were  on  the  point  of  returning  to  Dub- 
lin, when  one  of  the  party  recollected 


94 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


that  he  had  in  his  possession  a  handful 
of  notes  on  a  banker  who  was  a  kind 
of  saddler  in  the  town  of  Killarney. 
Accordingly,  we  all  set  out  by  way  of 
sport  to  have  them  exchanged,  our 
principal  object  being  to  see  and  con- 
verse with  the  proprietor  of  such  a 
bank. 

Having  entered  the  "bank,"  which 
hardly  sufficed  to  admit  the  whole  com- 
pany, we  found  the  banking  saddler 
hard  at  work.  One  of  the  gentlemen 
thus  addressed  him : 

"  Good  morning  to  you,  sir.  I  pre- 
sume you  are  the  gentleman  of  the 
house  ? " 

"  At  your  service,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men," returned  the  saddler, 

"  It  is  here  that  I  understand  that  the 
bank  is  kept." 

"  You  are  right,  sir,"  was  the  reply ; 
"  this  is  the  Killarney  Bank,  for  want 
of  a  better." 

"  We  are  on  the  eve,"  said  the  spokes- 
man, "  of  quitting  your  town,  and,  as 
we  have  some  few  of  your  notes  which 
will  be  of  no  manner  of  use  to  us  else- 
where, I'll  thank  you  for  the  cash  for 
them." 

The  banker  replied  "  Cash,  plase  your 
honor,  what  is  that  ?  Is  it  anything  in 
the  leather  line  ?  I  have  a  beautiful 
saddle  here  as  ever  was  put  across  a 
horse,  good  and  cheap.  How  much  of 
my  notes  have  you,  sir,  if  you  please  ?  " 

"There  are  no  less  than  sixteen  of 
your  promises  to  pay,  for  the  amazingly 
large  sum  of  fifteen  shillings  and  nine- 
pence  sterling  money." 

"  I  should  be  sorry,  most  noble,"  re- 
turned the  banker,  "  to  waste  any  more 
of  your  lordship's  time  or  of  those  swate 
beautiful  ladies  and  gentlemen,  but  I 
have  an  illegant  bridle  here  as  isn't  to 
be  matched  in  Yoorup,  Aishy,  Africay, 
or  Merickay ;  its  lowest  price  is  fifteen 
shillings  six  and  a-half  pence — will  say 
fifteen  shillings  sixpence  to  your  lord- 
ship. If  ye'll  be  plased  to  accept  of  it, 
then  there  will  be  twopence  ha'penny 
or  a  three-pence  note  coming  to  your 


lordship,  and  that  will  clear  the  busi- 
ness at  once." 

This  account  of  an  Irish  banker,  al- ' 
though  possibly  somewhat  overcharged, 
may  be  considered  a  pretty  fair  speci- 
men of  many  who  pretended  to  carry 
on  the  business  of  banking  in  that 
country,  years  ago. 


Plorentine  Brokers  and  Honey 
Ijoaners. 

The  early  prosperity  of  the  Floren- 
tine brokers  was  great  indeed.  The 
useful  invention  of  a  system  of  ex- 
change, first  known,  or  at  least  perfect- 
ed in  Florence,  raised  her  in  commer- 
cial character ;  and  strengthened  by  the 
sums  of  money  which,  at  an  advan- 
tageous interest,  were  loaned  by  the 
Florentine  merchants  to  the  largest 
houses,  and  not  unfrequently  to  the 
governments  of  other  countries,  the 
body  or  board  of  Florentine  brokers 
became  at  once  among  the  most  influ- 
ential in  the  domestic  affairs  of  the 
city,  and  among  the  most  necessary  to 
the  rising  commerce  of  Europe. 

The  mode  of  exacting  security  on 
loans  is  a  notable  circumstance,  and 
shows,  with  unerring  certainty,  the  exact 
value  to  commerce  of  the  indefatigable 
exertions  made  by  the  money  lenders 
of  Florence.  When  Aldobrandino 
d'Este  applied  for  the  aid  of  the  bank- 
ers of  Florence,  in  addition  to  the  mort- 
gage of  all  his  real  estate,  they  required 
the  person  of  his  brother  in  pledge. 
The  neglect  of  similar  precautions  had 
caused  to  Florence  a  loss  that  shook  the 
whole  fabric  of  commercial  prosperity, 
when  Edward  of  England,  the  conquer- 
or of  Cressy  and  Poictiers,  and  the  am- 
bitious aspirant  to  the  realm  and  throne 
of  France,  permitted  the  great  house 
of  Peruzzi  to  fail  in  consequence  of  his 
inability  to  repay  the  moneys  which 
they  had  furnished  for  his  wars,  and 
which  amounted  to  a  sum,  calculated 
according  to  the  present  value  of  mon- 
ey, of  not  less  than  thirteen  millions  of 
dollars. 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


95 


Conducting:  Business  on  the  Paris 
Bourse. 

There  are  some  interesting  peculiari- 
ties in  the  mode  of  doing  business  on 
the  Paris  Bourse,  or  stock  exchange. 
The  agem  de  change  alone  are  author- 
ized by  law  to  purchase  or  sell  public 
securities.  All  respectable  business, 
whether  for  cash  or  the  end  of  the 
month,  is  transacted  by  them — not,  as 
in  London,  through  the  medium  of  the 
third  party,  called  the  jobber, — but 
directly  with  each  other.  They  seldom 
communicate  to  their  principals  the 
names  of  the  persons  with  whom  they 
deal ;  but  they  report  each  bargain  as  it 
is  made,  and  answer  at  the  end  of  the 
month  for  the  balance  due  to  him. 
They  are  very  cautious  in  doing  busi- 
ness with  the  public,  and  they  generally 
require  a  deposit,  or  couverture,  as  it  is 
called,  of  from  two  to  four  per  cent,  of 
the  sum  bought  or  sold,  before  they 
will  deal  for  the  end  of  the  month. 

Their  profits  are  enormous,  as  about 
sixty  agents  engross  the  whole  respec- 
table business  of  the  Bourse,  and  as 
they  encounter  losses  only  when  some 
great  banker  fails,  or  some  brother 
agent  de  change  stops  payment. 

The  agens  de  cTmnge  compose  what  is 
called  the  '■'■parquet,^''  but  there  is 
another  body  in  the  exchange  called 
the  coulisse,  consisting  of  speculators  of 
all  classes  and  fortunes,  who  are  beyond 
the  law,  and  who  do  business  with 
each  other  on  parole.  There  are  re- 
spectable men  to  be  found  in  the  coulisse, 
but  many  persons  are  admitted  into  it 
who  have  very  little  to  recommend 
them.  Their  operations  are  all  for 
time,  and  in  the  three  per  cents,  only. 
Several  members  of  the  coulisse  do  busi- 
ness as  brokers  for  speculators  out  of 
the  market,  but  their  chief  occupation 
consists  in  catching  for  each  other  the 
turn  of  the  market.  It  rarely  happens 
that  the  parquet  and  the  coulisse  take 
the  same  view  of  public  affairs ;  and 
the  former,  backed  by  the  great  capi- 


talists, are  usually  the  "bulls,"  while 
the  latter  usually  are  the  "  bears."  In 
both,  the  small  fry  are  sacrificed — soon- 
er or  later  they  are  carried  down  the 
stream,  as  the  rich  bankers,  at  stated 
times,  combine  and  execute  them  with- 
out mercy. 


Terrible  Beveng'e  on  a  Bank  by 
Bothschild. 

An  amusing  adventure  is  related  as 
having  happened  to  the  Bank  of  Eng- 
land, which  had  committed  the  great 
disrespect  of  refusing  to  discoimt  a  bUl 
of  a  large  amount,  drawn  by  Anselm 
Rothschild,  of  Frankfort,  on  Nathan 
Rothschild,  of  London. 

The  bank  had  haughtily  replied 
"  that  they  discounted  only  their  own 
bills,  and  not  those  of  private  persons." 
But  they  had  to  do  with  one  stronger 
than  the  bank.  "  Private  persons  ! " 
exclaimed  Nathan  Rothschild,  when 
they  reported  to  him  the  fact :  "  Pri- 
vate persons  !  I  will  make  these  gentle- 
men see  what  sort  of  private  persons 
we  are ! " 

Three  weeks  afterward,  Nathan 
Rothschild — ^who  had  employed  the  in- 
terval in  gathering  all  the  five-pound 
notes  he  could  procure  in  England  and 
on  the  Continent — presented  himself  at 
the  bank  at  the  opening  of  the  office.  He 
drew  from  his  pocket  book  a  five-pound 
note,  and  they  naturally  coimted  out 
five  sovereigns,  at  the  same  time  look- 
ing quite  astonished  that  the  Baron 
Rothschild  should  have  personally 
troubled  himself  for  such  a  trifle.  The 
baron  examined  one  by  one  the  coins, 
and  put  them  into  a  little  canvas  bag, 
then  drawing  out  another  note, — a 
third — a  tenth — a  hundredth,  he  never 
put  the  pieces  of  gold  into  the  bag 
without  scrupulously  examining  them, 
and  in  some  instances  trying  them  in 
the  balance,  as,  he  said,  "  the  law  gave 
him  the  right  to  do."  The  first  pocket- 
book  being  emptied,  and  the  first  bag 
full,  he  passed  them  to  his  clerk,  and 
received  a  second,  and  thus  continued, 


96 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSESTISS  ANECDOTES. 


till  the  close  of  the  bank.  The  baron 
had  employed  seven  hours  to  change 
twenty-one  thousand  pounds.  But  as  he 
had  also  nine  employes  of  his  house  en- 
gaged in  the  same  manner,  it  resulted 
that  the  house  of  Rothschild  had  drawn 
£210,000  in  gold  from  the  bank,  and  that 
he  had  so  occupied  the  tellers  that  no 
other  person  could  change  a  single  note. 
Everything  which  bears  the  stamp 
of  eccentricity  has  always  pleased  the 
English.  They  were,  therefore,  the 
first  day,  very  much  amused  at  the 
little  pique  of  Baron  Rothschild.  They 
however  laughed  less  when  they  saw 
him  return  the  next  day  at  the  opening 
of  the  bank,  flanked  by  his  nine  clerks, 
and  followed  this  time  by  many  drays, 
destined  to  carry  away  the  specie. 
They  laughed  no  longer,  when  the  king 
of  bankers  said  with  ironic  simplicity : 
"  These  gentlemen  refuse  to  pay  my 
biUs,  I  have  sworn  not  to  keep  theirs. 
At  their  leisure— only  I  notify  them 
that  I  have  enough  to  employ  them 
for  two  months  ! "  "  For  two  months ! " 
"  Eleven  millions  in  gold  drawn  from 
the  Bank  of  England  which  they  have 
never  possessed  ! "  The  bank  took 
alarm.  There  was  something  to  be 
done.  The  next  morning,  notice  ap- 
peared in  the  journals  that  henceforth 
the  bank  would  pay  Rothschild's  bills 
the  same  as  their  own. 


Deterxniningr  the  Gentiineness  of  a 
Check. 

The  bank  account  of  a  highly  re- 
spectable house  was  reported  over- 
drawn for  two  thousand  dollars ;  and 
one  of  the  firm  denied  the  genuineness 
of  a  particular  check  for  that  amount. 
A  number  of  his  checks  were  so  ar- 
ranged as  to  conceal  all  but  the  signa- 
tures, and  he  was  requested  to  point 
out  the  forgery.  He  acknowledged  his 
inability  to  discriminate  between  that 
and  any  other.  On  close  inquiry  it  ap- 
peared that  he  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  signing  checks  in  blank  to  the  order 
of  his  bookkeeper,  to  be  used  in  his  ab- 


sence, and  the  one  in  question  was  of 
this  description,  excepting  that  it  was 
payable  to  the  bearer.  He  was  asked 
if  he  could  swear  that  the  signature 
was  not  his  own — ^to  which  he  answered 
in  the  negative.  Yet  it  was  not  made 
subject  to  order  in  his  usual  form,  and 
he  had  no  recollection  of  having  signed 
it.  Under  these  circumstances,  the 
bank  insisted  that  it  was  genuine,  and 
the  house  submitted  to  the  loss. 


Modem  Bank  Directors'  Parlor. 

The  bank  room,  or  parlor,  of  the 
Bank  of  England,  is  the  grand  centre 
around  which  the  whole  mechanism 
of  that  vast  establishment  revolves. 
There  in  solemn  assembly  sit,  once  a 
week,  that  august  commercial  body, 
reverently  spoken  of  by  all  as  the 
"  board  of  directors ; "  there  all  the 
overdrawn  accounts  are  gone  over  and 
commented  upon ;  instructions  are  giv- 
en for  further  advance  or  reduced  bal- 
ances ;  all  the  bills  on  hand,  and  the 
character  of  their  acceptors,  are  regular- 
ly examined  and  criticized ;  grave  de- 
liberations are  held  as  to  the  best  means 
of  investing  any  surplus  funds ;  and 
last,  but  not  least,  to  those  immediate- 
ly concerned,  the  question  of  salaries  is 
there  gone  into,  and  duly  disposed  of. 
Very  rarely,  indeed,  is  a  joke  heard,  or 
a  pun  perpetrated  in  this  retreat,  sacred 
to  business  alone ;  but  should  such  an 
event  ever  occur,  it  would  doubtless  be 
some  dry  wit  comprehensible  only  to 
financiers.  The  directors  never  die — 
that  is  to  say,  they  never  die  out.  So 
soon  as  a  vacancy  takes  place,  it  is  im- 
mediately filled,  generally  by  the  larg- 
est shareholder,  if  possessed  of  a  reason- 
able amount  of  capacity  for  the  posi- 
tion. 


Detectine:  Bad  Bills. 
A  BANK  TELLER  requires  an  instinc- 
tive faculty  for  the  detection  of  spurious 
bills.    To  stand  by  and  observe  him 
counting,  it  might  be  supposed  that  he 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY   RELATIONS. 


97 


Modern  Bank  Directors'  Parlor. 


could  hardly  get  a  glimpse  of  each,  so 
rapidly  do  they  pass  through  his  hands. 
He  looks  as  if  he  were  trying  how  many 
times  he  could  strike  the  ends  of  his 
fingers  together  in  the  twentieth  part 
of  a  second ;  but  you  see  a  steady 
stream  of  bills  issuing  beneath  them 
and  gradually  gathering  into  a  pile. 

There  goes  one  aside,  without  per- 
ceptible pause  in  the  handling !  He 
checks  the  item  on  the  list,  and  with 
his  right  hand  thrusts  the  pile  into  a 
drawer,  whilst  with  the  left  he  tosses 
the  single  bill  back  to  the  depositor. 

"  Counterfeit — five  dollars  off ! " 

He  makes  the  entry,  deducting  it 
from  the  list,  hands  the  book  to  the 
dealer,  and  takes  the  next  in  order,  in 
which  there  is  a  package  of  mixed  de- 
nominations of  several  hundred  dollars. 
He  gives  it  a  smack  on  the  counter  to 
loosen  the  bills,  and  a  peculiar  toss, 
which  makes  them  fall  over  like  the 
leaves  of  a  book,  affording  an  instanta- 
neous glance  at  their  ends.  His  eye  has 
caught  in  that  instant  an  old  acquaint- 
ance. 

"Where  did  you  get  that  altered 
bill  ?  "  he  asks  of  the  customer,  mean- 
while counting — "  twenty,  thirty,  fifty, 
7 


fifty-five,  sixty,"  and  on  he  goes  like 
lightning.  The  dealer  looks  aston- 
ished, not  thinking  that  the  question 
could  possibly  have  reference  to  any 
bill  in  his  money.  The  teller  repeats, 
without  ceasing  his  account  for  an  ap- 
preciable instant — "  one  twenty,  one 
thirty,  two,  five,  one  forty  five — say, 
where  did  you  get  that  altered  bill  ? — 
sixty-five,  one  seventy,  eighty,  two 
thirty — that,^''  he  says,  tossing  it  in  his 
face — "  two  altered  to  ten ;  two  eighty- 
five,  two  ninety-five,  three,  five,  ten, 
three  thirty-five — ten  off,  right;"  and 
the  deposit  is  entered,  and  the  dealer's 
book  is  returned  before  he  knows  it, 
and  the  teller  is  in  the  midst  of  another 
count  for  the  next  customer  in  order. 

This  is  very  curious  to  an  inexpe- 
rienced observer.  But  there  are  cer- 
tain well-known  spurious  and  altered 
bank  bills,  which  are  distinguished  by 
a  quick  teller,  as  well  as  the  counte- 
nance of  said  teller's  landlord  who  ap- 
proaches to  ask  for  his  quarter's  rent. 


An  Excited  Specie  Htinter. 

During  the  heat  of  the  specie  excite- 
ment at  Glasgow,  a  few  years  ago,  a 


98 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


gentleman  went  into  the  Union  Bank 
of  that  city,  and  presented  a  check  of 
five  hundred  pounds.  The  teller  asked 
him  if  he  wished  gold.  "  Gold ! "  re- 
plied he,  "  no ;  give  me  notes,  and  let 
the  fools  that  are  frightened  get  the 
gold." 

Another  gentleman  rushed  into  the 
same  bank  in  a  great  state  of  excite- 
ment, with  a  check  for  fourteen  hun- 
dred pounds.  On  being  asked  if  he 
wished  gold,  he  replied,  "Yes." 
"  Well,"  said  the  teller,  "  there  are  one 
thousand  pounds  in  that  bag,  and  four 
hundred  in  this  one."  The  gentleman 
was  so  flurried  by  the  readiness  with 
which  the  demand  was  granted,  that  he 
lifted  up  the  bag  with  the  four  hundred 
pounds  only,  and  walked  off,  leaving 
the  one  thousand  pounds  on  the  coun- 
ter. The  teller,  on  discovering  the  bag, 
laid  it  aside  for  the  time.  Late  in  the 
day  the  gentleman  returned  to  the  bank 
in  great  distress,  stating  that  he  had 
lost  the  bag  with  the  one  thousand 
pounds,  and  could  not  tell  whether  he 
left  it  behind  him  on  leaving  the  bank, 
or  dropped  it  whUe  in  the  crowd. 
"  Oh,  you  left  it  on  the  counter,"  said 
the  teller  quietly,  "  and  if  you  will  call 
to-morrow  you  will  get  your  thoxisand 
pounds." 

t 

Benewlng:  a  Note. 

As  queer  scenes  occur  in  the  daily 
proceedings  of  a  bank,  probably,  as  in 
almost  any  kind  or  place  of  business 
that  can  be  named — the  apparent  mo- 
notonous routine  of  bank  transactions 
being  diversified  by  many  an  odd  inci- 
dent. 

When  the  tellers  get  at  their  posts, 
and  the  hour  for  business  has  arrived, 
customers  begin  to  drop  in  first  one  by 
one,  and  there  are  generally  "cases" 
of  some  sort  or  other  soon  requiring 
special  attention.  Perhaps  among  them 
will  come  "  Old  Indian,"  as  he  is  fa- 
miliarly known  at  the  institution,  a 
man  who  has  honorably  acquitted  him- 
self in  the  military  line,  and  one  who 


is  liked  by  all  at  the  bank,  but  who 
has  got  into  difficulties,  which,  per- 
haps, he  feels  to  be  more  galling  than 
he  ever  did  the  fire  of  an  enemy.  With- 
out preliminaries,  he,  soldier-like,  comes 
to  the  point  at  once. 

"  I  wish  to  pay  the  interest  on  that 
bill  of  inine  you  hold,  and  to  renew  it 
for  three  months  longer." 

"  Very  good,  sir ;  I  will  find  the  bill." 

The  teller  now  goes  ostensibly  for  the 
document,  but  in  reality  to  consult  the 
manager's  wishes  on  the  subject :  "  Mr. 
Brookes  has  called  to  renew  his  note ; 
shall  I  do  so  ? "  "  Well,  I  suppose  we 
must.  You  know  we  have  a  little  se- 
curity for  it,  and  as  he  means  to  pay 
off  gradually,  we  must  try  to  oblige 
him." 

Having  thus  "found  the  bill,"  the 
teller  again  goes  to  his  desk,  and 
draws  out  the  new  one,  which  the  old 
gentleman  signs,  pays  the  interest  on 
the  first,  and  with  a  stiff  "  good  morn- 
ing," takes  his  leave.  They  all  feel  for 
him,  but  sometimes  wonder,  with  all 
credit  to  his  good  intentions,  whether 
he  will  ever  do  much  more  than  renew 
his  bills. 


Franklin's  HvQtitude  of  Capitalists. 

"  Time  is  money,"  said  Franklin ; 
but  it  doesn't  follow  that  the  multitude 
of  those  who  have  so  great  a  quantity 
of  such  "  money "  on  their  hands  are 
all  capitalists. 


"  Ittanifolding: "  Bank  Notes. 
The  use  of  bank  notes,  independent- 
ly of  their  legitimate  value,  appears  to 
be  somewhat  diverse.  But  perhaps  the 
most  extraordinary  use  to  which  they 
have  been  applied  is  to  be  found  in  the 
process  termed  "  manifolding."  A  per- 
son carrying  on  a  rather  extensive  busi- 
ness in  the  British  provinces,  being  in 
want  of  cash,  and  having  in  his  pos- 
session a  fifty-pound  note,  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  would  cut  it  in  two. 
With  one  part  he  went  to  a  moneyed 
acquaintance  told  him  he  had  just  re- 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


99 


ceiyed  it  by  post,  and  that  the  other 
would  follow  in  a  day  or  two,  and  it 
would  be  a  great  convenience  if  his 
friend  could  advance  him  cash  to  the 
amount  on  its  security.  The  person  to 
whom  he  applied  consented  to  the  re- 
quest. Having  been  thus  successful 
with  one  half,  he  determined  to  try  the 
other ;  with  it  he  proved  equally  for- 
tunate, and  thus  his  fifty-pound  note 
produced  him  one  hundred  pounds. 
The  game  was  too  profitable  to  be 
given  up  at  once;  so  he  went  to  a 
banker,  and  demanded  a  one  hundred 
pound  note  with  the  cash  he  had  re- 
ceived. Again  he  had  recourse  to  the  pro- 
cess of  cutting ;  again  he  victimized  two 
acquaintances,  and  thus  procured  two 
hundred  pounds  for  his  original  note. 
With  the  money  thus  acquired  he  de- 
parted, satisfied  with  having  gained  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds  thus  easily. 


Sunning:  a  Sank. 

The  Bank  of  England  probably  never 
passed  through  a  more  critical  strait 
than  the  "  run "  made  upon  it  by  the 
Due  de  Choiseul, — a  French  plan  to 
destroy  the  institution,  hoping  thereby 
to  obtain  important  State  advantages 
for  France  over  her  rival.  Some  mil- 
lions of  livres  added  to  the  zeal  of  the 
French  emissaries,  who  discovered  a 
period  when  the  bullion  was  somewhat 
low,  and  spread  reports  calculated  to 
injure  the  standing  of  the  corporation. 

Collecting  aU  the  notes  which  they 
could  possibly  procure,  they  poured 
them  into  the  bank,  and  carried  away 
the  gold  with  a  parade  which  attracted 
the  attention  it  sought.  The  old  cry 
arose  of  a  run  upon  the  bank,  and  in 
a  few  hours  the  whole  city  was  in  mo- 
tion. Volumes  of  paper  were  present- 
ed, and  gold  received  in  exchange. 
The  consternation  of  the  directors  was 
in  proportion  to  the  suddenness  of  the 
attack.  The  alarm,  far  from  being 
quieted,  became  every  day  more  gen- 
eral.   Post-chaises  poured  in  from  the 


provinces.  The  application  for  specie 
became  more  urgent.  There  was  no 
mode  of  judging  to  what  extent  an  at- 
tempt so  unprecedented  and  so  unex- 
pected might  be  carried.  The  efforts 
of  the  national  enemy  seemed  prosper- 
ing, and  for  some  days  England  appear- 
ed to  be  on  the  brink  of  the  greatest 
evil  which  could  happen. 

Time  was  necessary  to  collect  specie, 
and  people  were  employed  day  and 
night  to  coin  money.  All  the  gold 
which  by  any  stratagem  could  be  gath- 
ered was  brought  into  the  bank.  The 
method  of  paying  by  weight  was  dis- 
continued. The  sums  claimed  were  de- 
livered with  greater  deliberation ;  and 
the  money  placed  guinea  by  guinea  on 
the  table.  For  nine  days  this  fever 
continued ;  but  the  method  adopted  by 
the  directors,  with  concurrent  circum- 
stances, gave  time  for  the  production 
of  a  large  supply  of  gold.  All  the  de- 
mands were  met,  and  the  claimants  find- 
ing there  was  no  cause  for  doubt,  re- 
sumed their  confidence  in  the  bank. 


Intruding:  into  the  Bullion  Boom. 

The  directors  of  the  Bank  of  Eng- 
land some  time  since  received  an  an- 
onymous letter,  stating  that  the  writer 
had  the  means  of  access  to  their  bul- 
lion room.  They  treated  the  matter  as 
a  hoax  and  took  no  notice  of  the  letter. 
Another  and  more  urgent  and  specific 
letter  failed  to  rouse  them.  At  length, 
the  writer  offered  to  meet  them  in  their 
bullion  room  at  any  hour  they  might 
please  to  name.  They  then  communi- 
cated with  their  correspondent  through 
the  channel  he  had  indicated,  appoint- 
ing some  "  dark  and  midnight  hour " 
for  the  rendezvous.  A  deputation  from 
the  Board,  with  lantern  in  hand,  re- 
paired to  the  bullion  room,  locked 
themselves  in,  and  awaited  the  arrival 
of  the  mysterious  correspondent. 
Punctual  to  the  hour  a  noise  was  heard 
below.  Some  boards  in  the  floor  with- 
out much  trouble  were  displaced,  and 


100 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSEfESS  ANECDOTES. 


in  a  few  minutes  the  Guy  Fawkes  of 
the  bank  stood  in  the  presence  of  the 
astonished  directors.  His  story  was 
very  simple  and  straightforward.  An 
old  drain  ran  under  the  bullion  room, 
the  existence  of  which  had  become 
known  to  him,  and  by  means  of  which 
he  might  have  carried  away  enormous 
sums.  Inquiry  was  made.  Nothing 
had  been  abstracted,  and  the  directors 
forthwith  rewarded  the  honesty  and 
ingenuity  of  their  anonymous  corre- 
spondent— a  working  man,  who  had 
been  employed  in  repairing  sewers — by 
a  present  of  eight  hundred  pounds. 


Bothschild  Trying:  to  Baise  a  Small 
lioan. 

The  name  of  Nathan  Meyer  Roths- 
child is  found  upon  more  money  biUs 
than  passed  through  any  twenty  bank- 
ing firms  in  London,  during  the  period 
covered  by  his  business  career.  But  he 
was  far  from  being  celebrated  for  his 
proficiency  in  the  art  of  writing.  This 
defect,  on  one  occasion  in  particular, 
caused  him  some  little  annoyance.  He 
was  travelling  in  Scotland,  and,  on  his 
return,  stopped  at  the  town  of  Mont- 
rose ;  here,  wishing  to  replenish  his  ex- 
hausted exchequer,  he  went  to  the 
bank,  and  requested  cash  for  a  draft 
of  one  hundred  pounds  on  his  agent  in 
London.  He  was,  however,  much  sur- 
prised at  the  refusal  of  the  bank  man- 
ager to  honor  his  check,  without,  as 
that  functionary  said,  having  the  gen- 
uineness of  the  signature — rthifh  he  was 
utterly  vnabie  to  read — previously  ac- 
credited ;  and  for  this  purpose  it  must 
be  first  forwarded  to  London.  To  this 
arrangement  Mr.  Rothschild  was  com- 
pelled to  submit ;  and  as,  at  that  time, 
it  took  six  days  before  an  answer  could 
be  received  from  London,  he  was  de- 
tained until  the  reply  came,  which,  of 
course,  proving  favorable,  he  was  en- 
abled to  pursue  his  journey. 


Oirard's  G-reat  Govemment  Loan. 

It  is  a  fact  which  may  be  put  to  the 
credit  of  Girard's  patriotism,  that  in 
1814,  when  the  credit  of  the  country 
was  exhausted,  the  treasury  bankrupt, 
and  an  invading  army  was  marching 
over  the  land ;  when,  in  fact,  subscrip- 
tions were  solicited  for  funds  to  the 
amount  of  five  millions  of  dollars,  upon 
the  inducement  of  a  large  bonus  and  an 
interest  of  seven  per  cent.,  and  only 
twenty  thousand  dollars  could  be  ob- 
tained upon  that  offer  for  the  purpose 
of  carrying  on  the  war,  Stephen  Gi- 
rard  stepped  forward  and  subscribed 
for  the  whole  amount.  When,  too, 
those  who  had  before  rejected  the  terms 
were  afterward  anxious  to  subscribe, 
even  at  a  considerable  advance  from 
the  original  subscription,  these  individ- 
uals were  let  in  by  him  upon  the  same 
terms. 


Coin  Used  by  Judas. 

The  "  piece  of  silver,"  thirty  of  which 
were  paid  to  Judas,  in  his  trade  of  be- 
traying Christ,  was  considered  a  pecu- 
liar piece  by  the  Israelites,  and  was  al- 
ways spoken  of  in  their  holy  books  as 
the  shekel  of  Israel,  or  holy  shekel  of  the 
sanctuary.  It  was  the  amount  which 
each  Israelite,  between  the  ages  of 
twenty  and  fifty,  was  required  to  pay 
into  the  public  treasury,  as  a  ransom 
for  their  delivery,  during  their  sojourn 
in  the  wilderness. 

According  to  the  British  currency,  a 
shekel  was  worth  two  shillings  three 
pence  three  farthings, — equal  to  about 
fifty  cents  of  our  money.  The  coin 
was  somewhat  larger  than  an  American 
half-dollar,  and  was  smooth-edged.  On 
one  side  it  bore  the  emblem  of  Aaron's 
rod,  as  mentioned  in  Numbers,  xviL  8, 
surrounded  with  the  inscription  in  He- 
brew which  is  given  in  the  eleventh 
chapter  of  Leviticus — with  the  words^ 
"Shekel  of  Israel." 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


101 


History  of  the  Old  Bed  Cent. 

As  the  old  "  red  cent "  has  now  passed 
out  of  use,  and,  except  rarely,  out  of 
sight,  like  the  "  old  oaken  bucket,"  its 
history  is  a  matter  of  sufficient  interest 
for  preservation.  The  cent  was  first  pro- 
posed by  Robert  Morris,  the  great  finan- 
cier of  the  Revolution,  and  was  named 
by  Jefferson  two  years  after.  It  began 
to  make  its  appearance  from  the  mint 
in  1793.  It  bore  the  head  of  Washing- 
ton on  one  side,  and  thirteen  links  on 
the  other.  The  French  Revolution 
soon  created  a  rage  for  French  ideas  in 
America,  which  put  on  the  cent,  instead 
of  the  head  of  "Washington,  the  head 
of  the  Goddess  of  Liberty — a  French 
liberty,  with  neck  thrust  forward  and 
flowing  locks.  The  chain  on  the  re- 
verse was  replaced  by  the  olive  wreath 
of  peace.  But  the  French  liberty  was 
•short-lived,  and  so  was  her  portrait  on 
our  cent.  The  next  head  or  figure  suc- 
ceeding this — the  staid,  classic  dame, 
with  a  fillet  around  her  hair, — came 
into  fashion  about  thirty  or  forty  years 
ago,  and  her  finely  chiselled  Grecian 
features  have  been  but  slightly  altered 
by  the  lapse  of  time. 


Oriffin  of  Paper  Honey. 

The  celebrated  traveller,  Marco 
Paulo,  of  Venice,  was  the  first  person 
who  announced  to  Europe  the  existence 
of  paper  money  in  China,  under  the 
Mogiils.  It  was  subsequently  intro- 
duced by  the  Moguls  into  Persia,  where 
their  notes  were  called  djaou,  or  djaw, 
a  word  evidently  derived  from  the  Chi- 
nese word  schaio — a  word  intended  to 
signify  the  want  of  specie. 

The  fact  of  the  Moguls  having,  in 
China  and  Persia,  made  use  of  paper 
money,  has  induced  the  belief  that 
they  were  the  inventors  of  it.  But  in 
the  history  of  Tchinghiz-khan,  and  of 
the  Mogul  dynasty  in  China,  published 
in  the  year  1739,  the  author  speaks  of 
the  suppression  of  the  paper  money, 


which  was  in  use  under  the  dynasty 
of  the  Soung,  who  reigned  in  China 
previous  to  the  Moguls;  and  he  also 
mentions  a  new  species  of  notes  which 
were  substituted  for  the  ancient  in  the 
year  1264. 

The  original  financial  speculation  of 
the  Chinese  ministry,  to  provide  for  the 
extraordinary  expenditures  of  the  State, 
which  were  exceeding  the  revenues, 
was  in  the  year  119  before  the  Christian 
era.  At  this  period  were  introduced 
the  phi-pi,  or  value  in  skins.  These 
were  small  pieces  of  the  skin  of  deer, 
which  were  kept  in  a  pen,  within  the 
precincts  of  the  palace.  They  were  a 
Chinese  square  foot  in  size,  and  were 
beautifully  ornamented  with  painting 
and  embroidery.  The  price  of  those 
skins  was  fixed  at  a  sum  equal  in  Eng- 
lish money  to  about  twelve  guineas. 


Bicardo's  Three  Golden  Btiles. 

David  Ricabdo,  the  English  Jew 
broker,  accumulated  an  immense  prop- 
erty. He  had  what  he  called  his  three 
golden  rules  in  business,  the  observance 
of  which  he  always  pressed  upon  his 
private  friends.  These  were  :■  Never  to 
refuse  an  option  when  you  can  get  it ; 
cut  short  your  losses ;  let  your  profits 
run  on.  By  cutting  short  one's  losses, 
Mr.  Ricardo  meant  that,  when  a  broker 
had  made  a  purchase  of  stock,  and 
prices  were  falling,  he  ought  to  re-sell 
immediately.  And  by  letting  one's 
profits  run  on,  he  meant  that,  when  a 
dealer  possessed  stock,  and  the  prices 
were  rising,  he  ought  not  to  sell  until 
prices  had  reached  their  highest,  and 
were  beginning  again  to  fall. 


HL.  Bothschild  on  the  Secret  of  hl« 
Success. 

On  the  occasion  of  a  familiar  inter- 
view, one  day,  between  Sir  Thomas 
Buxton  and  Rothschild,  the  latter  said  : 
"  My  success  has  always  turned  upon 
one  maxim.  I  said,  /can  do  what  another 
man  can,  and  so  I  am  a  match  for  all 


102 


COMMERCIAL  AKD  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


the  rest  of  'em.  Another  advantage  I 
had — I  was  always  an  oflF-hand  man ; 
I  made  a  bargain  at  once.  When  I  was 
settled  in  London,  the  East  India  Com- 
pany had  eight  hundred  thousand 
pounds  in  gold  to  sell.  I  went  to  the 
sale,  and  bought  the  whole  of  it.  I 
knew  the  Duke  of  Wellington  mtiat 
have  it.  I  had  bought  a  great  many 
bills  of  his  at  a  discount.  The  govern- 
ment sent  for  me,  and  said  they  must 
have  it.  When  they  had  got  it,  they 
didn't  know  how  to  get  it  to  Portugal, 
where  they  wanted  it.  I  undertook  all 
that,  and  sent  it  through  France ;  and 
that  was  the  best  business  I  ever  did  in 
my  life. 

"  It  requires  (continued  Rothschild)  a 
great  deal  of  boldness  and  a  great  deal 
of  caution  to  make  a  great  fortxme ; 
and  when  you  have  got  it,  it  requires 
ten  times  as  much  wit  to  keep  it.  If  I 
should  listen  to  one  half  the  projects 
proposed  to  me,  I  should  ruin  myself 
very  soon. 

"  One  of  my  neighbors  is  a  very  ill- 
tempered  man.  He  tries  to  vex  me, 
and  has  built  a  great  place  for  swine 
close  to  my  walk.  So,  when  I  go  out, 
I  hear  first,  '  Grunt,  grunt,'  then 
*  Squeak,  squeak.'  But  this  does  me 
no  harm.  I  am  always  in  good  himior. 
Sometimes,  to  amuse  myself,  I  give  a 
beggar  a  guinea.  He  thinks  it  is  a 
mistake,  and  for  fear  I  should  find  it 
out,  he  runs  away  as  hard  as  he  can.  I 
advise  you  to  give  a  beggar  a  guinea 
sometimes — ^it  is  very  amusing." 


Application  for  a  Discount,  by  Astor. 

Mb.  J.  J.  Astok's  profits  rolled  in 
upon  him  at  a  rate  which  no  one  could 
have  dreamed  of,  and  he  kept  their 
amount  a  secret  until  he  had  so  pene- 
trated the  frontier  by  his  agencies  that 
he  controlled  the  whole  fur-trade,  when 
he  occasionally  acknowledged  a  degree 
of  wealth  which  astonished  those  who 
heard.  For  instance,  he  had  occasion 
■at  a  certain  time,  to  use  a  large  amount 


of  cash,  and,  what  was  very  rare  with 
him,  applied  to  his  bank  for  a  heavy 
discount.  The  unusual  circumstance 
and  the  sum  demanded  startled  the 
cashier,  who,  in  a  plain  business  way, 
put  the  question:  "Mr.  Astor,  how 
much  do  you  consider  yourself  worth  ?  " 
"iVot  less  than  a  million,''''  was  the  reply. 
"A  million  1" — the  cashier  was  over- 
whelmed. He  supposed  that  he  knew 
all  his  customers,  and  had  rated  Astor 
at  hardly  more  than  one-tenth  of  that 
sum. 


Peculiar  Kanag^ment  of  the  Bank 
of  Amsterdam. 

Previously  to  the  year  1609,  the 
great  trade  of  Amsterdam  brought 
thither  large  quantities  of  clipped  and 
worn  coin,  from  foreign  countries. 
Thus,  the  whole  currency  became  great- 
ly debased ;  for,  whenever  any  coin  was 
issued  fresh  from  the  mint,  as  the  metal' 
was  worth  more  than  its  nominal  and 
current  value,  it  was  immediately  with- 
drawn from  circulation,  and  exported, 
or  melted  down.  In  this  state  of  things, 
merchants  could  not  always  find  enough 
of  good  money  to  pay  their  bills  of  ex- 
change. 

To  remedy  the  inconveniences  in 
question,  a  bank  was  established  in 
1609,  which  received  aU  money,  at  its 
real  value  in  standard  coin,  and  gave 
the  owners  credit  for  the  amount,  after 
deducting  a  small  percentage  for  the 
recoining  and  other  expenses.  A  law 
was  passed,  that  all  bills  of  exchange 
of  the  value  of  six  hundred  guilders, 
or  above,  should  be  payable  only  in 
bank  currency — a  regulation,  which  at 
once  compelled  all  merchants  to  open 
an  account  with  the  bank.  As  the  city 
of  Amsterdam  became  bound  for  the 
solvency  of  the  bank,  and  as  the  paper 
currency  had  many  conveniences,  the 
bank  paper  was  always  at  a  premium, 
and  could  be  sold  in  the  money  market 
for  more  than  its  nominal  value.  Con- 
sequently there  was  no  necessity  to  de- 
mand payment  of  the  bills. 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


103 


The  bank  professed  to  lend  no  part 
of  the  money  that  was  deposited  in  its 
vaults,  but  to  have  the  value  in  coin 
always  in  hand,  for  aU  its  certificates 
of  credit.  It  is  believed  that  this  was 
really  the  case ;  for,  on  one  occasion, 
when  political  events  caused  a  run 
upon  the  bank,  some  of  the  coins,  then 
paid  out,  bore  the  marks  of  having 
been  scorched  by  a  fire,  which  had  oc- 
curred soon  after  the  institution  was  es- 
tablished. 


liost  Bank-Note  of  TMrty  Thousand 
Pounds. 

A  VEBT  wealthy  English  banker  had 
occasion  for  thirty  thousand  poimds, 
which  he  was  to  pay  as  the  price  of  an 
estate  he  had  just  bought ;  to  facilitate 
the  matter,  he  carried  the  sum  with  him 
to  the  bank,  and  obtained  for  it  a  bank 
note.  On  his  return  home,  he  was  sud- 
denly called  out  upon  particular  busi- 
ness ;  he  threw  the  note  somewhat  care- 
lessly on  the  chimney,  but  when  he 
came  back  a  few  minutes  afterward  to 
lock  it  up,  it  was  not  to  be  found. 

No  one  had  entered  the  room — he 
could  not,  therefore,  suspect  any  per- 
son. At  last,  after  much  ineffectual 
search,  he  was  persuaded  that  it  had 
fallen  from  the  chinmey  into  the  fire. 
The  banker  went  to  acquaint  the  gen- 
tlemen, who  were  associated  with  him 
as  directors  of  the  bank,  with  the  mis- 
fortune that  had  happened  to  him; 
and,  as  he  was  known  to  be  a  perfectly 
honorable  man,  he  was  readily  be- 
lieved. It  was  only  four-and-twenty 
hours  from  the  time  that  he  had  de- 
posited his  money ;  they  thought,  there- 
fore, that  it  would  be  hard  to  refuse  his 
request  for  a  second  bill.  He  received 
it  upon  giving  an  obligation  to  restore 
the  first  bill,  if  it  should  ever  be  found, 
or  to  pay  the  money  himself,  if  it  should 
be  presented  by  any  stranger. 

About  thirty  years  afterward  (the 
banker  having  been  long  dead,  and  his 
heirs  in  possession  of  his  fortune),  an 
unknown  person  presented  the  lost  bill 


at  the  bank,  and  demanded  payment. 
It  was  in  vain  that  they  narrated  to  this 
person  the  transaction  by  which  that 
bill  was  annulled — he  would  not  listen 
to  it ;  he  maintained  that  it  had  come] 
to  him  from  abroad,  and  insisted  upon 
immediate  payment.  The  note  was 
payable  to  bearer;  and  the  thirty 
thousand  pounds  were  paid  to  him. 
The  heirs  of  the  deceased  banker 
would  not  heed  any  demand  upon 
them  for  restitution,  and  the  bank  was 
obliged  to  sustain  the  loss.  It  was  dis- 
covered afterward  that  an  architect, 
having  purchased  the  banker's  house, 
had  it  taken  down,  in  order  to  build 
another  upon  the  same  spot,  and  found 
the  note  in  a  crevice  of  the  chimney  I 


merchants'  ^otes  as  Chirrency. 

The  peculiarities  of  carrying  on  busi- 
ness in  the  United  States  and  England 
respectively,  are  illustrated  by  the  dif- 
ference in  passing  good  mercantile 
notes  as  a  circulating  medium.  In 
England,  a  note  of  hand,  when  given 
for  any  business  purpose,  is  not  taken 
to  some  convenient  banker's,  to  be  dis- 
counted or  sold,  but  is  treated  with 
that  deference  that  is  given  to  other 
kinds  of  notes  signed  by  certain  of- 
ficials known  as  the  president  and 
cashier  of  a  bank,  for  the  simple  reason 
that,  if  made  by  an  honest,  responsible 
man,  it  is  worth  just  as  much.  The 
holder  can,  any  day,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood where  its  character  may  be 
known,  without  any  previous  negotia- 
tion, buy  anything  he  pleases,  and  pay 
for  it  with  this  paper  by  simply  in- 
dorsing it — because  the  second  holder 
knows  he  can  in  turn  do  the  same; 
and  so  it  goes,  getting  farther  and  far- 
ther from  home,  until  having  passed 
through  the  hands  of  perhaps  more 
than  twenty  different  persons,  and 
being  literally  covered  with  indorse- 
ments, it  is  finally  lodged  in  the  bank 
for  collection.  Such  a  note,  of  one 
thousand  pounds,  is  frequently  made 


104 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


to  pay  the  indebtedness  of  twenty  dif- 
ferent men,  not  one  of  whom  needs  to 
know  whether  the  bank  is  calling  in  or 
letting  out  its  best  money,  or  to  care 
•whether  his  banker  is  easy  or  "  tight " 
in  his  financial  condition. 

Sceoies  after  Discount  Day. 

DiscotTNT  customers  at  New  York 
banks  are,  in  a  good  majority  of  cases, 
an  eager  set.  The  first  crowd  at  the 
bank  the  morning  after  the  board  has 
sat,  is  composed  of  the  most  anxious 
dealers.  It  is  important  for  them  to 
know  early,  whether  they  must  seek 
elsewhere  the  bread  of  commercial  life 
for  the  day.  They  are  followed  by  the 
less  needy — the  more  deliberate,  who 
know  the  value  of  "  deportment "  in  a 
tight  market.  Here  are  some  samples 
which  will  keep  fresh  for  a  long  time  : 

"  Notes  done,  sir  ? "  is  asked  by  the 
applicant,  either  verbally,  or  in  panto- 
mime. The  aflSrmative  causes  a  bright 
gleam  of  sunshine  in  the  face  of  the 
questioner.  But  a  negative  to  the  next 
comer  substitutes  a  scowl  of  disappoint- 
ment :  "  What  is  the  reason  of  that,  sir  ? 
Has  the  bank  stopped  discounting  ? " 
"Market  tightened  up,  sir.  Deposits 
down.    Offerings  very  heavy." 

The  customer  departs  with  an  audi- 
ble growl  of  indignation  at  what  he 
conceives  to  be  "  a  denial  of  rights." 

Another :  "  Good  morning,  Mr.  Smith ; 
what  have  you  to  say  to  me  ? "  "  Noth- 
ing very  encouraging,  sir.  The  bank 
discounted  one  of  your  notes."  "  What 
—only  one  out  of  ten  ?  "  "  That's  all. 
Very  good  proportion,  I  do  assure  you." 
"  A  single  thousand  1  And  I  want  five 
to-day  !  Where's  the  president  ? "  "  In 
his  room,  sir.  But  I  don't  believe  you'll 
gain  anything  by  talking  to  him.  Our 
receipts  are  very  small  just  now,  and 
the  porter  brings  bad  news  from  the 
clearing-house." 

A  third  fills  the  little  gate  in  the  rail- 
ing with  a  grim  and  threatening  visage, 
but  does  not  speak.    The  clerk  knows 


him  as  a  frequent  applicant,  and  seldom 
a  fortunate  one ;  the  character  of  his  ac- 
count, as  well  as  of  his  paper,  being  in- 
ferior, and  presenting  no  claims  worthy 
of  consideration  by  the  directors.  He 
receives  back  his  offering  without  re- 
mark, and  departs  in  sullen  silence. 

Customer  four :  "  Well,  Smith,  don't 
tell  me  my  notes  ain't  done ! " 
"Wouldn't  if  I  could  help  it,  sir. 
Board  did  mighty  little."  "Hang 
the  board !  Isn't  there  any  explana- 
tion? Don't  they  know  the  paper? 
Is  it  too  long?"  "No  explanation 
given  to  me.  Bank's  short.  Can't 
help  it.  Majority  in  the  same  boat." 
Customer  leaves  an  oath  behind  him. 


Neapolitan  Cambiamoneta,  or  Money 
Chancer. 

Along  the  crowded  streets  of  Naples 
the  passer-by  will  occasionally  see  a 
great  red  umbrella  mounted  on  a  tall 
pole,  and  under  which  a  very  snug  little 
business  is  carried  on.  A  smart,  respect- 
able, middle-aged  lady  sits  in  state  be- 
neath this  circumscribed,  but  brDliant, 
little  awning,  which  lends  a  decidedly 
roseate  hue,  not  only  to  herself  but  to 
her  calling.  The  table  at  which  she 
sits  is,  in  fact,  a  "  strong  box "  on 
wheels,  and  she  herself  is  a  banker  in 
a  small  way — a  street  money-changer. 
On  her  little  counter  are  disposed  vari- 
ous money  bags,  with  open  mouths — a 
small  one  of  gold,  a  larger  one  of  silver, 
and  a  still  larger  of  copper  coins.  Her 
transactions  are  as  safe  as  they  are  sim- 
ple. She  does  not  lend  out  her  money 
on  usury ;  she  does  not  gamble  on  the 
stock-exchange,  or  make  "time  bar- 
gains," or  demand  a  high  rate  of  in- 
terest for  "  accommodation,"  while  she 
gives  a  low  rate  of  interest  on  "  depos- 
its." She  merely  lays  herself  out  to 
change  one  set  of  coins  into  their  equiv- 
alents; for  this  she  receives  a  small 
banker's  commission,  and  on  this  small 
commission  she  lives  and  thrives. 

It  is  surprising  how  often  her  inter- 
vention is  required  in  the  daily  busi- 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


105 


ness  of  life.  Here  is  a  laughing,  rol- 
licking, black-eyed  servant  girl  come 
out,  with  a  basket  on  her  arm,  to  make 
her  purchases  in  the  market  of  Santa 
Lucia.  Her  money  does  not  happen  to 
be  in  an  available  shape,  and  the  fish- 
monger cannot  give  change-  But — 
"  Ah  !  most  fortunate  1  See,  the  Sig- 
nora  Marchetti  !  Ah,  ^ceUema,  without 
your  help  I  am  lost.  Oblige  me,  this 
holy  morning,  with  some  of  your  dear 
carlini.  My  padrone  (master)  is  so  im- 
patient. Ah,  ^cellema,  how  eagerly  he 
craves  his  dinner."  And  so  her  "  Ex- 
cellency "  is  only  too  happy  to  oblige 
her  friend,  the  brisk  and  vivacious  little 
cook,  while  with  the  blandest  of  smiles 
she  deducts  from  the  change  her  own 
pretty  little  percentage. 

Again,  there  is  a  tall,  dark,  suspi- 
cious-looking man,  who  finds  that  his 
long  walk  from  Capua  has  made  a  hole 
in  his  shoe.  Near  by,  too,  there  is  a 
poor  street  cobbler,  who  is  seated  on 
his  own  tool-basket,  with  his  little 
hammer,  and  his  twine  and  wax  dis- 
posed around  him  on  the  pavement. 
The  dark  Capuan  kicks  off  his  ailing 
shoe,  plants  his  unshod  foot  on  the 
ground  by  the  shod  one,  and,  in  spite 
of  the  police,  hums  a  proscribed  ode  to 
Masaniello,  until  the  poor  cobbler  sets 
him  comfortably  on  his  feet  again. 
Once  more,  the  Signora  Marchetti  must 
be  referred  to,  for  the  cobbler's  pocket 
is  as  empty  as  himself,  and  not  a  "  gra- 
na  "  lurks  there  to  supply  his  employer 
with  the  requisite  change,  and  to  sup- 
ply himself  with  the  yet  more  requisite 
dinner  of  chestnuts ;  and  thus,  for  an 
additional  exchange  of  equivalents,  the 
banker's  commission  glides  into  the  Sig- 
nora's  waiting  purse. 


Largest  Check  ever  Drawn. 

In  the  negotiations  made  a  few  years 
since  by  the  English  government  for  a 
loan  of  eighty  million  dollars,  the  suc- 
cessful contractors  were  the  Messrs. 
Rothschild;    and,   having    been    sup- 


ported by  the  subscriptions  of  friends, 
they  were  of  course  recognized  as  the 
acting  firm  in  that  important  transac- 
tion. In  paying  the  first  deposit  to- 
ward this  amount  to  the  government, 
the  check  they  drew  was  for  the  sum 
of  six  million  dollars.  This  bank  check 
was  probably  the  largest  ever  drawn  at 
once  by  one  private  banking-house — or, 
if  not,  it  was  certainly  for  a  very  "  con- 
siderable sum." 


Lorillard  Paying:  a  Beauest  in  Sank 
Stock. 

On  a  certain  occasion,  Jacob  Loril- 
lard was  appointed  executor  to  an  es- 
tate in  which  the  widow  had  a  life- 
interest,  but  where  each  of  the  children 
was  to  receive  a  thousand  dollars  on 
coming  to  age.  When,  in  the  fii-st 
case,  this  period  had  arrived,  one  of 
the  sons  called  on  him  for  the  amount 
of  this  bequest.  "  And  what,"  he  said, 
"  do  you  wish  to  do  with  it  ? "  "  To 
purchase  stock  with  it  in  a  particular 
bank."  "  At  what  is  it  now  selling  ?  " 
"A  hundred  and  ten."  "Have  you 
any  objections  to  leave  the  money  with 
me  on  interest  till  the  1st  of  May,  and 
then  I  will  let  you  have  the  stock  at 
the  same  rate  ? "  In  the  mean  time  it 
fell,  as  he  anticipated,  to  eighty-four. 
When  this  change  took  place,  the 
young  man  was  greatly  depressed.  He 
called  at  the  time  appointed,  to  fulfil 
the  engagement.  "  The  stock  is  ready 
for  you,"  Mr.  Lorillard  playfully  re- 
marked ;  "  however,  if  you  prefer  it,  I 
will  release  you  from  the  contract,  and 
the  money  may  remain  where  it  is."  It 
may  easily  be  conceived  that  the  yoimg 
man  left  him  grateful  and  rejoicing. 


Greatest  Ijendingr  House  in  Europe. 

The  great  money-lending  house  at 
Naples  was  first  established  in  1539  or 
1540.  Two  rich  citizens,  Aurelio  Papa- 
ro  and  Leonardo  or  Nardo  di  Palma, 
redeemed  all  the  pledges  which  were  at 
that  time  in  the  hands  of  the  Jews,  and 


106 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


offered  to  deliver  them,  to  the  owners 
without  interest,  provided  they  would 
return  the  money  which  had  been  ad- 
vanced on  them.  More  of  the  opulent 
citizens  soon  followed  their  examples ; 
many  bequeathed  large  sums  for  this 
particular  purpose;  and  Toledo,  the 
viceroy,  who  drove  the  Jews  from  the 
kingdom,  supported  it  by  every  method 
possible.  This  lending  house,  which 
has  undergone  so  many  variations,  is 
the  largest  in  Europe ;  and  it  contains 
such  an  immense  amount  and  number 
of  different  articles,  many  of  them  ex- 
ceedingly valuable,  that  it  may  be  con- 
sidered as  a  repository  of  the  most  im- 
portant part  of  the  movables  of  the 
whole  nation. 


Oldest  Bill  of  Exchangre  in  the  World, 
1325. 

The  oldest  copy  of  a  formal  bill  of 
exchange  known  to  be  in  existence,  at 
present,  is  one  dated  at  Milan,  on  the 
9th  of  March,  1325,  and  runs  in  the 
original  as  follows : 

"  Pagate  per  questa  prima  litera  [let- 
tera]  a  di  IX.  Ottobre  a  Luca  de  Goro 
Lib.  XLV.  Sono  per  la  valuta  qui  da 
Marco  Reno,  al  tempo  il  pagate  e  po- 
nete  a  mio  conto  e  R.  che  Christo  vi 
guarde  Bonromeo  de  Bonromei  de  Mila- 
no  rx.  de'  Marzo,  1325."  Or,  in  Eng- 
lish— 

"  Pay  for  this  first  bill  of  exchange, 
on  the  9th  of  October,  to  Luca  Goro  45 
livres ;  they  are  for  value  received  here 
from  Marco  Reno ;  at  the  time  of  ma- 
turity pay  the  same  to  my  account, 
thanking  you,  may  Christ  protect  you, 
Bonromeo  de  Bonromei  of  Milan,  the 
9th  of  March,  1325." 


Unexpected  Balance  at  Coutts's  Bank. 

Lord  A.  Fitzclarence  happened  to 
drop  into  Coutts's  bank  with  his  friend 
Mr.  W.,  who  wanted  to  draw  some 
money,  for  which  purpose  he  got  a 
check  from  the  cashier,  and  filled  it 
up  for  two  hundred  pounds;  on  re- 


ceiving which,  he  observed  that  he 
had  something  to  say  to  one  of  the 
partners,  and  excused  himself  for  step- 
ping into  an  inner  room  a  few  minutes 
for  the  purpose.  Lord  A.,  left  standing 
by  the  coimter,  remarked,  laughingly : 

"  "Well,  it  is  a  very  pleasant  thing  to 
walk  in  and  get  helped  to  two  hundred 
pounds  in  that  way." 

"  If  your  lordship  wishes  to  draw," 
replied  the  cashier,  "  I  will  hand  you  a 
check." 

"  Oh,  yes !  but  as  I  do  not  keep  an 
account  here,  that  would  be  of  very  lit- 
tle use,"  said  the  lord ;  and  the  conver- 
sation went  on,  as  his  lordship  thoughl, 
jocularly. 

"  I  beg  your  lordship's  pardon ;  but 
I  should  be  very  happy  to  cash  it." 

"  But  I  tell  you  I  have  no  money  in 
the  bank,  and  never  had  any  at  Messrs. 
Coutts's." 

"Your  lordship  is  mistaken;  there 
is  a  larger  siun  than  that  standing  on 
our  books  in  your  name;"  and,  con- 
sulting a  large  ledger,  he  pointed  out 
the  entry. 

It  turned  out  that  Lord  A.'s  royal 
father  had  vested  certain  amounts  for 
the  younger  branches  of  his  family,  and 
had  somehow  forgotten  to  mention  the 
circumstance;  and  so  it  might  have 
lain  for  a  very  long  time,  as  it  is  a  rule 
of  the  house  never  to  announce  moneys 
paid  in. 


Oolloaxiies  inside  the  Bank. 

In  his  various  walks  and  contacts, 
the  porter  of  a  bank  gains  much  knowl- 
edge of  men  and  things,  which,  discre- 
tionally,  or  in  answer  to  questions,  he 
communicates  to  the  bank  officials,  be- 
tween whom  and  himself  there  is  free 
and  often  confidential  intercourse. 
Here  is  an  amusing  illustration,  from 
no  other  pen  than  Gibbons's : 

"  What  news  at  the  clearing-house 
to-day,  Mr.  Donaldson  ? "  asks  the  pres- 
ident. "I  didn't  hear  anything  par- 
ticular, sir.    It  looks  as  if  things  might 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


107 


be  a  little  excited  and  uncomfortable, 
that's  all."  "  Ah !  Well,  that's  a  good 
deal.  What  makes  you  think  so  ? " 
"A  little  sort  of  snap,  sir.  Some  of 
the  porters  came  in  late,  as  though 
they'd  been  holding  back  for  morning 
checks."  "Did  you  hear  anything  in 
the  street?"  "I  heard  some  talk 
about  a  failure  among  the  brokers,  but 


no  name."    "  No  steamer  in  ? ' 


■Well, 


yes,  sir ;  but  the  boys  ain't  crying  an 
extra  yet.  They're  got  a  notice  on  the 
bulletins — '  Delhi  not  taken  ! '  " 

The  president  catches  a  valuable  hint 
from  many  a  conversation,  of  which  this 
is  an  example. 

"  Delhi  not  taken !  Then,  Mr.  Cash- 
ier, I  think  you  may  answer  Mr.  Bor- 
row, that  we  can't  give  him  any  priv- 
ilege of  over-draft,  nor  re-discount  his 
paper.  These  country  banks  must  leam 
to  take  care  of  themselves."  An  appli- 
cation for  a  credit  of  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars, which  had  been  lying  in  suspense, 
is  thus  decided  by  the  state  of  things  in 
India. 

It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  porter  will 
carry  notices  to  parties  within  the  next 
half  hour,  calling  in  one  or  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  of  demand  loans, 
so  sensitive  are  bank  officers  to  imag- 
inary effects  that  may  follow  an  an- 
nouncement that  some  "Delhi"  or 
other  is  "  not  yet  taken." 


Disadvantage  of  being:  a  Bank 
Director. 

The  Senate  of  the  State  once  elected 
Mr.  Matthew  Carey,  the  eminent  book 
publisher,  a  director  of  the  Bank  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  mentions,  as  a  dis- 
advantage to  him  from  the  position, 
the  lenity  shown  by  the  other  directors, 
whereby  his  debts  rose  extravagantly 
high.  This  evil  he  urges  with  great 
warmth  and  zeal,  as  the  one  which  sev- 
eral times  in  his  business  life  came  near 
bringing  him  to  bankruptcy.  "  I  print- 
ed and  published,"  he  declares, "  above 
twice  as  many  books  as  were  necessary 
for  the  extent  of  my  business ;  and,  in 


consequence,  incurred  oppressive  debts 
to  banks — ^was  laid  under  contribution 
for  interest  to  them  and  to  usurers, 
which  not  only  swallowed  up  my  profits, 
but  kept  me  in  a  constant  state  of  pen- 
ury. I  was  in  many  cases  shaved  so 
close  by  the  latter  class,  that  they  al- 
most skinned  me  alive.  To  this  cause 
my  difficulties  were  nearly  altogether 
owing,  for  I  did  a  large  and  profitable 
business  almost  from  the  time  I  opened 
a  bookstore." 

He  sets  down  another  evil  practice 
of  his  business  career,  which  he  cau- 
tions young  traders  to  shun,  as  they 
would  "temporal  perdition."  It  is 
that  of  endorsation.  "  In  this  way,  in 
fourteen  years,"  he  writes,  "  I  lost  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty  thousand  dol- 
lars; and  but  for  this  I  might  have 
retired  from  business  ten  years  earlier 
than  I  did ;  besides,  in  one  of  the  cases 
of  failure,  I  was  brought  to  the  verge 
of  stoppage." 


Boyal  Fawners  and  Brokers. 

The  infection  of  gambling,  in  the 
different  varieties  of  that  practice,  is  so 
strong  that  Pope,  who  knew  his  coun- 
trymen well,  declared  that : 

"Statesman  and  patriot  ply  alike  the  stocks; 
Peeress  and  butler  share  alike  the  box ; 
And Judgres  job,  and  bishops  bite  the  town, 
And  mighty  dukes  pack  cards  for  half  a 
crown." 

In  the  twelfth  century  Richard  L 
pawned  the  revenues  of  the  crown  for 
the  payment  of  moneys  borrowed  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  the  fanatical 
conquest  of  the  Holy  Land.  Henry  HI. 
pawned  the  crown  jewels  and  regal 
ornaments  and  robes  of  state.  Ed- 
ward I.  borrowed  money  to  pay  the 
debts  of  his  father,  in  order  to  get  his 
soul  "  out  of  purgatory,"  as  the  record 
states.  Richard  H.  was  deposed  for 
extorting  one  million  one  hundred 
thousand  pounds  sterling,  under  pre- 
text of  borrowing,  which  was  never 
repaid.    This  was  one  of  the   chief 


108 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANTICDOTES. 


causes  of  the  York  and  Lancaster  wars. 
In  1346  Edward  IH.  ordered  a  sum  of 
money  to  be  lent  to  him.  Henry  IV. 
obliged  the  rich  men  of  the  kingdom  to 
lend  him  money  on  the  growing  taxes. 
Henry  VIII.  escaped  the  punishment  he 
so  justly  merited  for  defrauding  his 
creditors ;  he  compelled  Parliament  to 
pass  two  acts,  offering  him  "  all  the 
money  he  had  received  in  loans," — thus 
discharging  him  of  all  obligations  he 
had  come  under,  and  all  suits  that 
might  arise  thereupon.  In  money 
matters  in  Elizabeth's  time,  the  people 
insisted  upon  the  payment  of  the  sums 
advanced  to  her  predecessors,  a  demand 
she  was  wise  enough  to  comply  with. 


Irishman  at  the  Bank. 

The  city  banks  have  all  kinds  of  cus- 
tomers. For  instance,  one  in  the  shape 
of  an  Irish  pig-jobber,  a  stranger,  intro- 
duces himself,  or  rather  his  business,  by 
laying  his  great  whip  on  the  counter, 
taking  off  an  apology  of  a  hat — so  far 
as  any  known  styles  stand  related  to 
it, — and  then,  fumbling  in  the  caver- 
nous recesses  of  his  dirty  garments, 
lugs  out  a  crumpled  bimdle  of  very 
nasty-looking  notes. 

"  Could  ye  give  me  your  bank  notes 
for  these,  sur  ?  "  he  asks,  in  his  most  in- 
sinuating manner. 

"  We  never  change  notes  to  stran- 
gers." 

"  Why,  they're  good,  ain't  they  ?  " 

"  Yes,  doubtless ;  but  we  don't  change 
notes  of  another  bank." 

"Well,  sur,  supposing  Fd  be  after 
paying  ye  a  little  charges  now,  would 
ye  do  it  for  me  ? " 

"  Do  you  know  any  one  in  the  town  ? 
If  you  can  find  any  one  known  to  us, 
who  will  write  his  name  on  the  back 
of  them,  we  might  do  it,  perhaps." 

"  Yes,  sure,  sur,  there's  Mr.  Murphy 
the  pork  butcher,  sur." 

"  Well,  he  will  do." 

In  due  time  he  re-appears,  with  his 
fiiend  Murphy,  and  with  much  satisfac- 


tion pockets  the  new  and  clean  notes. 
After  paying  his  "  charges,"  as  he  calls 
them,  the  warm  heart  of  a  son  of  Erin 
exhibits  itself: 

"  Thank  ye,  sur ;  and,  by  jabbers,  if 
ye'll  come  out  wid  me.  I'll  stand  trate 
for  brandy." 


Juvenile  Contempt  of  the  Bank. 

A  SHOP  boy,  having  a  very  rustic  ap- 
pearance in  dress  and  manners,  entered 
one  of  the  banks  in  Dundee,  Scotland, 
and,  throwing  a  sixpence  to  the  teller, 
asked,  "  A  saxpence  worth  o'  fardins." 
The  teller  very  politely  replied,  "I 
can't  do  it.  I  have  not  so  many," 
Shop  boy,  "  Gie's  back  my  saxpence, 
then."  The  boy,  on  opening  the  door 
to  leave,  looked  over  his  shoulder,  and 
staring  at  the  teller,  exclaimed,  "  Sic  a 
bank  ! "  Next  day  he  had  occasion  to 
visit  the  same  bank,  and  on  being  asked 
amid  the  laughter  of  the  clerks  "  If  he 
got  his  saxpence  worth  o'  fardins  ? "  re- 
plied contemptuously,  "Ay  did  I.  I 
got  them  in  a  little  pie-shop." 


Banks  of  Ease. 

Many  years  ago  the  first  settlers  in 
Western  New  York  were  obliged  to 
take  their  grain  a  great  distance  in 
wagons  to  Albany,  to  find  a  market. 
The  roads  were  bad,  and  the  travelling 
dangerous.  Three  farmers  of  this  re- 
gion found  a  purchaser  for  their  loads 
of  wheat  at  Amsterdam,  a  village  some 
twenty-five  miles  west  of  Albany,  and 
were  glad  thus  to  dispose  of  it,  and 
save  themselves  the  trouble  and  travel. 
They  took  an  order  on  the  bank  of 
Amsterdam  for  their  pay,  which  was 
offered  them  in  specie — silver ;  but  they 
objected  to  taking  it,  as  it  was  too  hea- 
vy to  carry,  and  they  preferred  the  notes 
of  the  bank.  And  here  the  laugh  comes 
in.  The  oflScers  of  the  bank  refused  to 
give  them  the  bills,  because  the  farmers 
were  going  so  far  out  into  the  wilder- 
ness, the  bills  would  never  come  back 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


109 


to  the  bank  again !  The  matter  was 
finally  compromised  by  the  bank's  pay- 
ing each  of  them  one  doUar  extra,  on 
their  consenting  to  receive  silver  in- 
stead of  paper  money.  Surely,  this 
bank  might  well  be  termed  a  Bank  of 
Ease! 


Bxissian  Money  Brokers. 

Though  the  ring  upon  one's  finger  is 
said  to  be  unsafe  in  the  Russian  money- 
marts,  it  is  clear  that  the  silver  rubles 
and  ducats  on  the  tables  of  the  money- 
brokers  are  perfectly  secure ;  for  tables 
of  this  kind  stand  at  the  comers  of  all 
the  streets,  amidst  the  thickest  of  the 
throng,  upon  which  columns  and  heaps 
of  the  different  sorts  of  coin  are  invit- 
ingly exposed  to  the  public  gaze — a 
phenomenon  that  perhaps  could  not 
take  place  in  any  other  great  and 
crowded  city.  It  would  be  easy  for 
any  one  intent  on  plunder  to  upset  the 
table,  and  tumble  its  valuable  freight 
promiscuously  into  the  mud ;  and  no 
one,  amidst  the  general  confusion,  could 
be  expected  to  point  out  the  rogue  that 
was  enriching  himself  with  the  scatter- 
ed spoil. 

And  yet  it  is  a  fact,  that  though 
thousands  of  rubles  are  often  placed 
under  the  care  of  lads  only  twelve  years 
of  age,  not  a  broker  would  risk  a  farth- 
ing, if  he  did  not  think  himself  per- 
fectly safe  with  his  money  amidst  all 
these  people  and  the  attendant  commo- 
tion. But  the  Russian  rogue  is  a 
strangely  discriminating  fellow,  who 
has  not  the  least  scruple  to  commit 
some  actions  that  are  palpably  dis- 
honest— for  instance,  to  charge  a  buyer 
six  times  as  much  for  a  tiling  as  it  is 
worth,  or  to  pick  one's  pocket  of  watch 
or  purse, — while  he  thinks  others  most 
disgraceful,  and  is  therefore,  in  certain 
points,  as  honorable  and  trustworthy  as 
the  most  conscientious  man  that  can  be 
found.  These  money-brokers  are  under 
the  protection  of  the  public  and  of  the 
thieves  themselves.    No  doubt  it  has 


often  happened  that  such  money-tables 
have  been  overthrown,  and  not  a  single 
copeck,  much  less  a  ducat,  has  been 
lost,  because  all  the  by-standers,  in  their 
sheep-skin  dresses,  assisted  with  the 
most  courteous  officiousness  to  pick  up 
all  the  pieces  of  gold  and  silver  out  of 
the  dirt. 


Note  Buyers. 

There  are  men  who  spend  their 
whole  lives  in  Wall  street,  and  who  do 
nothing  else  but  buy  notes.  They  come 
in  early  and  go  out  late.  Their  time  is 
occupied  in  making  fresh  inquiries,  and 
in  haggling  about  the  rate  per  cent. 
You  can  to-day  see  these  persons,  if 
you  will  take  the  trouble  to  station 
yourself  on  the  spot,  and  I  predict  you 
will  behold  what  will  deejily  interest 
you.  Wait  a  few  moments  near  this 
comer,  and  you  wUl  not  be  disappoint- 
ed. There  he  comes,  passing  thought- 
fully along  the  street.  He  has  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  man  laden  with  many 
cares.  Look  at  him  !  He  is  respecta- 
bly encased  in  a  moderately  warm  suit 
of  black.  His  head  inclines  forward; 
his  eye  has  become  stony ;  his  nose 
pointed ;  his  chin  angular ;  his  cheeks 
rigid ;  his  lips  wooden ;  his  mind — 
alas  !  he  has  no  longer  any  mind ;  but 
in  place  of  mind  he  possesses  an  instinct 
so  subtle  and  acute  that  it  will  detect 
a  piece  of  "  made  "  paper  in  the  very 
curl  of  the  signature.  If  you  wish  to 
see  more  of  this  sort,  go  and  take  a 
seat  for  an  hour  or  two  in  one  of  the 
many  small  note-brokers'  offices,  which 
abound,  and  watch  the  arrival  of  others 
of  these  paper  sharks.  They  come  in 
hungry,  eager,  sharp,  to  hear  and  see 
what  new  offers.  They  have  a  large 
capital,  perhaps  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dollars,  invested  in  notes,  or  repre- 
sented by  securities,  which  can  be  con- 
verted into  cash  in  twenty-four  hours, 
should  it  be  required  to  buy  more  pa- 
per with.  They  are  always  moving 
about  to  pick  up  the  note  of  some  good 


110 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


mechanic,  who  they  know  for  certain 
reasons  is  hard-up,  and  who  is  willing 
to  bleed  freely  rather  than  to  fail  in  a 
contract. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that,  for 
the  delineation  of  the  above  character, 
the  credit  belongs  to  Kimball's  facile 
pen. 

Jacob  liorillard's  Note  of  Accommo- 
dation. 

The  benevolent  feelings  manifested 
by  Jacob  Lorillard  toward  young  begin- 
ners in  business,  who  were  needy  and 
friendless,  exhibit  a  very  bright  side  to 
human  nature.  When  a  director  of  that 
institution,  of  which  he  was  twice  the 
president,  he  would  frequently  take  a 
parcel  of  the  small  notes  which  were 
offered  for  discount  by  poor  mechanics, 
who  were  obscure  and  unknown,  and 
which,  therefore,  for  the  most  part, 
would  have  been  rejected,  and  make 
diligent  inquiry,  in  person,  as  to  their 
character  and  standing ;  and  if  he  found 
that,  with  a  proper  regard  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  bank,  he  could  commend 
them  to  favor  and  confidence,  he  felt 
that  he  was  abundantly  rewarded  for 
all  his  pains. 

On  one  occasion,  a  person  whose  note 
had  been  refused  where  it  was  oflFered 
for  discount,  and  who,  it  appears,  had 
no  peculiar  claims  on  his  kindness  and 
influence,  though  possessing  his  confi- 
dence, called  on  him  for  the  favor  of  a 
line  of  recommendation,  which  would 
be  sure  to  procure  the  desired  accom- 
modation. He  at  once,  as  it  seemed, 
complied  with  the  desired  request ;  in- 
stead of  being  a  line  of  recommenda- 
tion, however,  it  was  afterward  discov- 
ered to  be  a  note  of  Mr.  Lorillard,  for 
the  amount  which  was  needed.  The 
person  immediately  returned,  and  point- 
ed out  the  mistake.  "  Never  mind," 
said  Mr.  Lorillard,  "  if  they  will  not 
discount  your  note,  see  whether  they 
will  not  mine." 


liOsingr  a  Bank  CTistom.er. 

Mk.  Chickebing,  of  piano-forte  fame, 
one  day  presented  a  large  number  of 
notes  for  discount  at  one  of  the  banks 
in  Boston,  where  he  had  done  his  busi- 
ness. The  president  asked  him  who 
was  to  endorse  the  notes.  Mr.  Chicker- 
ing  replied,  "  I  shall  endorse  them  my- 
self." "  That  will  never  do,"  said  the 
president.  Mr.  Chickering  simply  re- 
sponded, "  Very  well,"  took  the  notes, 
and  carried  them  to  another  bank,  which 
immediately  gave  him  all  the  money  he 
needed.  On  another  occasion,  a  bank 
with  which  he  had  long  had  transac- 
tions, and  to  which  he  had  as  usual 
applied  through  his  clerk  for  an  accom- 
modation, sent  for  Mr.  Chickering,  and 
said  to  him,  "  Security  was  wanted." 
Mr.  Chickering  replied,  "  I  shall  give 
you  none  ;  I  have  done  my  business  at 
this  bank  for  a  long  time ;  and  if  you 
do  not  know  me,  I  shall  apply  where  I 
am  better  known."  The  consequence 
was,  the  necessary  discount  was  at  once 
given  by  another  bank,  to  which  he 
transferred  his  business.  This  business 
was  worth  at  least  ten  thousand  dollars 
a  year.  Soon  after  this,  a  director  of 
the  bank  which  refused  him,  called  on 
Mr.  Chickering,  to  induce  him  to  re- 
store his  business,  under  the  assurance 
that  for  the  future  the  bank  would 
grant  whatever  accommodation  might 
be  wanted.  Mr.  Chickering,  however, 
declined  the  proposed  arrangement,  not 
wishing  to  do  business  at  an  institution 
willing  to  suspect  his  responsibility. 


Endorser's  Qualifications. 

A  WORTHY  but  poor  minister  once 
requested  the  loan  of  fifty  dollars  from 
the  cashier  of  a  country  bank ;  and  in 
the  note  requesting  the  favor,  he  said 
that  if  the  cashier  would  oblige  him, 
he  would  "  pay  him  in  ten  days,  on  the 
faith  of  Abraham."  The  cashier  re- 
turned word  that  by  the  rules  of  the 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


Ill 


bank,  the  endorser  of  the  note  must  re- 
side in  the  State ! 


Uore  Cunning:  than  Bothschild. 

Notwithstanding  his  great  fore- 
thought, sagacity,  and  penetration, 
Rothschild  was  occasionally  surpassed 
in  cunning.  On  one  occasion  a  great 
banker  lent  Rothschild  a  million  and  a 
half  on  the  security  of  consols,  the  price 
of  which  was  then  eighty-four.  The 
terms  on  which  the  money  was  lent 
were  simple  and  usual.  If  the  price 
reached  seventy-four,  the  banker  might 
claim  the  stock  at  seventy ;  but  Roth- 
schild felt  satisfied  that,  with  so  large 
a  sum  out  of  the  market,  the  bargain 
was  tolerably  safe.  The  banker,  how- 
ever, as  much  a  Jew  as  Rothschild,  had 
a  plan  of  his  own.  He  immediately 
began  selling  the  consols  received  from 
the  latter,  together  with  a  similar 
amount  in  his  own  possession.  The 
funds  dropped;  the  stock  exchange 
grew  alarmed ;  other  circumstances 
tended  to  depress  it — the  fatal  price 
of  seventy-four  was  reached,  and  the 
Christian  banker  had  the  satisfaction 
of  outwitting  the  Hebrew  loanmonger. 


Voltaire's  Dealingrs  in  G-ovemment 
Stocks. 

Though  a  literary  man,  Voltaire  had 
an  eye  to  the  main  chance,  the  angle  of 
his  vision  finding  its  focus  in  govern- 
ment stocks.  "Here  I  am,"  he  says, 
"  living  in  a  way  suited  to  my  habits, 
and  caring  but  little  for  to-morrow ;  for 
I  have  a  friend,  a  director  in  the  Bank 
of  France,  who  writes  to  me  whenever 
money  is  to  be  made  in  the  public  funds. 
Sometimes  he  writes  to  me  desiring  me 
to  sell,  because  the  bank  is  going  to 
withdraw  its  notes.  At  other  times  he 
bids  me  buy — ^for  *  we  are  going  to  issue 
a  quantity  of  notes ; '  and  so,  through 
the  kindness  of  my  friend,  I  always 
make  money,  though  living  two  him- 
dred  miles  from  Paris." 


Jewish  Money  Lenders. 

A  PREJUDICE  against  Jews,  on  ac- 
count of  their  sharpness  in  money  trans- 
actions is  almost  universal.  The  simple 
fact  is,  however,  just  this :  that  when  a 
man — not  a  Jew — is  in  a  tight  place, 
or  broken  down  in  his  fortune,  so  that 
he  can  neither  raise  funds  by  the  credit 
of  his  name  nor  by  mortgage  on  his  es- 
tate, he  flies  to  the  money  lender.  Now, 
Jews  are  essentially  a  financial  people, 
and  money-broking,  in  all  its  details, 
is  their  special  avocation.  The  class 
of  Israelite  money  lenders  is,  therefore, 
numerous ;  and  it  is  ten  to  one  that  the 
broken-down  individual  who  requires  a 
loan  addresses  himself  to  a  Jew,  even 
if  he  take  the  money  lender  nearest  to 
him,  or  to  whom  he  is  at  first  recom- 
mended. Well,  he  transacts  his  busi- 
ness with  this  Jew ;  and  as  his  habits 
of  life  and  shaky  business  condition  are 
well  known,  he  cannot  of  course  obtain 
the  loan  he  seeks,  save  on  terms  propor- 
tionate to  the  risk  incurred  by  the 
lender.  Yet  he  goes  away,  and  de- 
nounces the  Jew. as  a  usurer;  when, 
had  he  applied  to  a  "  Christian  "  money 
broker,  the  terms  would  have  been 
equally  high, — ^if  any  terms  could  have 
been  effected  at  all,  seeing  that  he  had 
no  real  security  to  offer,  and  that  his 
name  was  already  tarnished.  Perhaps, 
then,  after  all,  Jewish  "  hardness  "  will 
compare  favorably  with  the  proverbial- 
ly rapacious  practices  of  Christian  attor- 
neys and  the  greedy  exactions  of  Chris- 
tian bill  discounters  1 


DiscoTinting:  a  Hibernian's  Note. 

A  TRANSPABENT  Hibernian  wanted  a 
friend  to  discount  a  note.  "  If  I  ad- 
vance this,"  said  the  lender,  "  will  you 
pay  your  note  punctually  ? "  "I  will, 
on  my  honor,"  replied  the  other — "  the 
expense  of  the  protest  and  aU  !  " 


112 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Addison's  Opinion  of  the  Koyal  Bx- 
change  and  its  Frequenters. 

Addison  once  pleasantly  wrote : 
There  is  no  place  in  the  town  which 
I  so  much  love  to  frequent  as  the  Royal 
Exchange.  It  gives  me  a  secret  satis- 
faction, and  in  some  measure  gratifies 
my  vanity,  as  I  am  an  Englishman,  to 
see  so  rich  an  assembly  of  countrymen 
and  foreigners,  consulting  together 
upon  the  private  business  of  mankind, 
and  making  this  metropolis  a  kind  of 
emporium  for  the  whole  earth. 

The  Royal  Exchange  of  London  still 
exhibits  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
assemblages  in  the  world,  if  the  stran- 
ger visiting  it  is  fortunate  enough  to 
have  the  advantage  of  a  city  merchant 
as  his  cicerone ;  otherwise  there  is  little 
in  its  general  aspect  differing  from  what 
may  be  seen  daily  at  'Change  hour  in 
any  of  the  large  cities.  But  it  certain- 
ly interests  the  stranger,  on  walking 
into  the  quadrangle  between  two  and 
three  o'clock,  "when  merchants  most 
do  congregate,"  to  see  the  representa- 
tives of  the  different  nations  of  the 
earth,  grouped  in  their  respective  places 
under  the  piazzas,  and  engaging  in  ne- 
gotiations, which,  more  than  the  coun- 
cils of  cabinets,  influence  the  policy  of 
states;  and  to  be  told,  for  example, 
that  the  thoughtful-looking  man,  with 
strongly  marked  Jewish  features,  lean- 
ing carelessly  against  a  pillar,  is  able 
by  a  dash  of  his  pen  to  control  the 
most  powerful  governments  in  Europe. 
In  this  quadrangle,  too,  resides  the  mys- 
terious susceptibility  to  the  variations 
in  the  political  and  commercial  atmo- 
sphere, indicated  upon  the  scale  of  that 
most  sensitive  of  all  barometers,  the 
money  market,  with  its  constantly  fluc- 
tuating prices. 


Koney  Street  of  New  York. 

Wall  stkeet  is  not  a  long  street, 
though  it  is  felt  a  long  ways.  A  man, 
without  corns,  can  walk  the  length  of 


it  in  five  minutes — and  then,  if  he 
should  keep  on,  would  find  himself  in 
the  East  River.  It  is  not  a  wide  street. 
Bids  have  been  made  from  curb  to 
curb.  Wheels  get  locked  there  daily, 
especially  near  the  head  of  it ;  and  a 
vast  deal  of  highly  ornamental  profan- 
ity is  done  by  sweet-tempered  carmen, 
who,  having  wedged  themselves  in,  seem 
to  think  that,  like  the  poor  debtor,  they 
can  swear  themselves  out. 

It  is  not  a  handsome  street,  stiU  there 
is  nothing  wooden  in  it,  except,  per- 
haps, the  heads  of  some  stock  buyers. 
White  marble,  brown  freestone,  terra 
cotta,  and  substantial  granite  bespeak 
its  wealth.  There  is  that  wonderfully 
intricate  building,  the  Merchants'  Ex- 
change— now  the  Custom  House,  where 
there  is  so  much  hard  swearing  over 
fraudulent  invoices  and  political  assess- 
ments. 

On  either  side  of  the  street  is  an  il- 
lustrious row  of  banks  and  insurance 
offices,  with  foreign  insurance  agents, 
land  agents,  coal  agents,  railroad  agents, 
steamship  agents,  and  many  other  sorts 
of  agents  (Satan's  too,  perhaps),  includ- 
ing some  lawyers  on  the  second  and 
higher  floors.  The  basements  swarm 
with  brokers.  Every  nook  and  cranny 
in  all  these  buildings  commands  high 
rents.  Add  to  this  picture  innumera- 
ble groups  of  earnest-talking,  scolding, 
chaffing,  gesticulating  men,  dividing 
the  rapid  currents  of  merchants,  bro- 
kers, clerks,  foreign  consuls,  financiers, 
and  commercial  editoi-s,  who  are  con- 
tinually passing,  and  one  who  has  never 
seen  the  notorious  thoroughfare  will 
have  a  tolerably  graphic  idea  of  Wall 
street. 

It  is  admitted,  even  by  Europeans, 
that,  as  a  money-dealing  street,  this 
has  no  superior  in  the  world.  The  na- 
ture and  amount  of  transactions  of  this 
kind,  for  a  single  week,  in  this  locality, 
would  make  a  formidable  portion  of 
Doomsday  Book. 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


113 


Governor  of  the  Bank  of  Eng'land  taken 
by  Surprise. 

At  the  half-yearly  meetings  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  Bank  of  England,  it 
sometimes  happens  that  one  or  more 
of  the  stockholders  endeavor  to  elicit 
some  information  relative  to  the  con- 
duct of  the  governor,  and  also  as  to  the 
cause  of  any  particular  loss  sustained 
by  the  bank,  and  from  what  data  the 
directors  have  fixed  the  dividend. 
These  and  similar  questions  are  gener- 
ally put  in  the  most  cautious  manner ; 
and,  if  answered  at  all — which  is  a 
rare  occurrence — are  met  with  an  equal 
degree  of  caution  on  the  part  of  the 
governor. 

That  functionary,  however,  is  on 
some  occasions  taken  by  surprise,  and 
betrayed  into  admissions  which  are 
contrary  to  practice.  A  singular  in- 
stance of  this  occurred  during  the  term 
of  Governor  Reid,  at  a  meeting  for  the 
declaration  of  the  dividends,  when  he 
stated  that  during  the  past  year  the 
amount  of  commercial  paper  discount- 
ed by  the  bank  was  forty  millions  of 
pounds.  As  this  amount  was  imusually 
large,  and  as  the  rate  of  interest  charged 
by  the  bank  was  five  and  one-half  to  six 
per  cent.,  with  only  a  loss  of  six  hun- 
dred pounds,  it  naturally  occurred  to  the 
stockholders  to  inquire  why  the  divi- 
dend was  not  larger  than  the  corre- 
sponding period  of  the  last  year ;  and, 
on  one  of  them  putting  a  question  to 
the  chair,  as  to  whether  the  repayment 
of  the  money  borrowed  from  the  Bank 
of  France  had  been  attended  with  any 
considerable  loss  to  the  corporation,  the 
governor  was  on  the  point  of  answering 
this  question,  when  some  kind  friend, 
like  a  second  Mentor,  whispered  some- 
thing in  the  ear  of  the  governor,  which 
had  the  effect  of  immediately  sealing 
his  lips,  and  he  refused  to  answer  the 
question.  At  these  meetings,  as  little 
as  possible  of  the  affairs  of  the  bank  is 
disclosed  by  the  directors,  from  the 
fear  that,  should  they  be  more  explicit, 
8 


it  might  endanger  their  property  by 
depreciating  the  value  of  bank  stock ; 
and,  to  such  an  extent  is  this  system  of 
secrecy  carried,  that  it  is  a  proverbial 
saying,  "  that  if  you  met  a  bank  direc- 
tor going  across  the  Royal  Exchange, 
and  you  asked  him  what  o'clock  it  was, 
he  would  say,  'You  must  excuse  me 
answering  that  question.' " 


Picayunes  and  Coppers. 

YoTJ  "  can't  buy  nothing "  in  New 
Orleans,  or  most  Southern  and  Western 
cities,  for  less  than  a  "  picayune '' — six 
and  a  quarter  cents.  And  in  connec- 
tion with  this  fact  in  currency,  a  little 
incident  took  place  on  board  one  of  the 
Western  boats,  the  rehearsal  of  which 
can  do  no  harm  on  a  hot  or  rainy  day. 
A  man  from  the  North,  who  happened 
to  have  quite  a  lot  of  coppers  weighing 
down  his  pocket,  but  who.  Yankee- 
like, had  no  idea  of  not  getting  their 
full  value  in  a  trade,  essayed  to  pass 
ten  of  the  filthy  coin  upon  a  "  Sucker," 
for  a  dime. 

"  What  le  they  ? "  inquired  the  Suck- 
er, in  unfeigned  ignorance. 

"  I  calculate  they  are  cents,"  replied 
the  Northerner ;  "  can't  you  read  ? " 

"  I  reckon  not,"  said  the  other ;  "  and 
what's  more,  old  hoss,  I  allow  I  don't 
want  to.    What  is  cents,  mister  ? " 

"I  vow  to  the  judges,"  said  the 
Northerner,  "you  are  worse  than  the 
heathen  !  Cents  is  money — 'sartin ! 
Ten  of  them  are  worth  one  dime. 
Can't  you  see?  It  says  'E  Pluribus 
Unum ' — ^that's  the  Latin  for  '  Hail  Co- 
lumbia ' — and  here  it's  inscribed  '  One 
Cent.' " 

"  Look  here,"  responded  the  Sucker, 
putting  the  thumb  of  his  hand  into  his 
ear,  and  inclining  his  fingers  forward, 
"  you  may  run  a  sew  on  a  Hoosier  or  a 
Wolverine,  but  I'm  blamed  if  you  Yan- 
kee me  with  that  contusive  stuff  \ " 


114 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Bewitching:  a  Bank  Teller. 

DimiNa  the  sojourn  of  Professor 
Anderson  in  the  Quaker  City,  he  used 
one  of  the  banks  for  his  deposits.  One 
day  he  went  to  the  bank  for  this  pur- 
pose, with  a  large  amount.  It  was 
principally  in  twenty  and  ten  dollar 
gold  pieces,  and  was  handed  in  in 
packages  of  five  hundred  each.  The 
teller,  who  did  not  know  the  wizard, 
and  who  is  usually  a  very  smart  man, 
commenced  counting  the  gold,  but  could 
not,  for  his  life,  satisfy  himself  of  the 
numerous  amounts.  Opening  one  pack- 
age, he  found  aU  right ;  then  he  took 
a  second,  and  found  it  ten  dollars 
short — recounted  it,  and  found  ten  dol- 
lars over ;  and  then  again,  and  it  was 
short.  He  then  laid  it  aside,  took  an- 
other parcel,  and  found  it  contained 
twenty  dollars  over — recounted  it,  and 
it  was  only  ten  over ;  again  he  carefully 
and  deliberately  counted  it,  and  discov- 
ered it  was  thirty  short !  The  young 
man  felt  his  head,  to  see  if  he  was  labor- 
ing under  sickness,  dreaming,  or  de- 
ranged. Finding  his  senses  all  right, 
he  set  to  work  again,  commencing  at 
the  first  package  and  got  through  five 
very  well ;  the  next  he  found  twenty 
short,  and,  recounting  it,  discovered 
forty  over  1  He  finally  called  to  his 
aid  another  teller,  who  was  equally 
puzzled;  but,  turning  round,  his  eye 
fell  upon  Professor  Anderson  standing 
near  by,  and  he  felt  convinced  it  was 
the  trick  of  the  wizard.  The  professor 
blandly  smiled,  and  desired  him  to 
proceed;  and  when  he  got  through 
satisfactorily,  he  took  the  receipt  for 
the  amount.  The  teller  then  went  to 
the  table  where  he  had  left  the  piles  of 
gold,  in  order  to  put  them  into  the 
drawer,  when  lo !  he  could  not  lift 
any  of  them  ;  the  coins  clung  together 
and  were  immovable !  The  young  man 
here  looked  fairly  terrified,  and  sought 
a  chair ;  but  the  professor,  seeing  his 
perplexity,  told  him  not  to  be  alarmed. 
He  found  his  imagination  had  affected 


him,  and  told  him  to  put  the  cash 
away ;  the  professor  then  left  the  bank, 
passing  the  crowd  of  anxious  customers 
who  had  been  observing,  in  blank  as- 
tonishment, the  capers  that  were  being 
cut  up  on  the  other  side  of  the  counter. 


The  Proud  Broker  Barnard. 

John  Barnard,  usually  styled  "  the 
proud  broker,"  flourished  extensively 
in  the  English  money  circles  of  the  last 
century.  The  reduction  of  interest  on 
money  loans,  ia  1750,  from  four  to 
three  per  cent.,  originated  with  this 
famous  man,  and  he  it  was  who  de- 
fiantly made  war  upon  time  bargains. 
His  pride  was  indomitable  to  such  a 
degree  that  it  passed  into  a  proverb ; 
the  members  of  the  exchange,  who  were 
always  spoken  of  by  Sir  John  with 
haughty  contempt,  thoroughly  detest- 
ed him,  and  greatly  helped  to  fan  the 
unpopularity  which  fell  upon  him 
when  he  opposed  public  feeling — as, 
with  a  most  unflinching  determination, 
he  invariably  did,  if  his  conscience 
prompted. 

On  commercial  subjects  his  opinion 
was  greatly  regarded ;  when  any  re- 
markable feature  in  financial  politics 
occurred,  the  town  echoed  with, 
"  What  does  Sir  John  say  to  this  ? — 
what  is  Sir  John's  opinion  ? "  He  once 
had  the  honor  of  refusing  the  post  of 
chancellor  of  the  exchequer. 

It  is  somewhat  at  variance  with  the 
proud  character  of  the  man,  that  from 
the  time  the  distinguished  honor  was 
paid  him  of  erecting  his  statue  in  the 
Royal  Exchange,  he  never  so  much  as 
entered  that  building,  but  transacted 
his  business  in  the  front. 

The  blood  of  Sir  John  Barnard  still 
flows  in  the  veins  of  some  of  the  best 
houses  in  the  commercial  world,  his 
son  having  married  the  daughter  of  the 
great  banker,  Sir  Thomas  Hankey.  Sir 
John's  great  enemy — and  a  powerful 
one,  it  may  well  be  believed— was 
Sampson    Gideon,    the   Jew    broker, 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


116 


"worth  more  than  all  the   land  of 
Canaan." 

Four  Money-making  Bules  of  Roth- 
schild. 

Rothschild  commonly  ascribed  his 
early  success,  in  a  great  degree,  to  the 
following  rules : 

"  First :  I  combined  three  profits ;  I 
made  the  manufacturer  my  customer, 
and  the  one  I  bought  of  my  customer 
— that  is,  I  supplied  the  manufacturer 
with  raw  materials  and  dyes,  on  each 
of  which  I  made  a  profit,  and  took  his 
manufactured  goods,  which  I  sold  at  a 
profit,  and  thus  combined  three  profits. 

"  Second  :  Make  a  bargain  at  once. 
Be  an  ofi-hand  man. 

"  Third  :  Never  have  anything  to  do 
with  an  unlucky  man  or  place.  I  have 
seen  many  clever  men  who  had  not 
shoes  to  their  feet.  I  never  act  with 
them ;  their  advice  sounds  very  well, 
but  fate  is  against  them — they  cannot 
get  on  themselves — how  can  they  do 
good  to  me  ? 

"  Fourth  :  Be  cautious  and  hold.  It 
requires  a  great  deal  of  boldness  and  a 
great  deal  of  caution  to  make  a  great 
fortune ;  and  when  you  have  got  it,  it 
requires  ten  times  as  much  wit  to  keep 
it." 

The  last  idea  was  one  which  Roth- 
schild frequently  expressed  ;  it  forms  a 
passage  in  his  memorable  conversation 
with  Sir  Thomas  Buxton,  and  there  is 
no  doubt  he  was  thoroughly  impressed 
with  its  truth. 


Albert  Gallatin  declining  Baring's 
Offer  of  a  Fortune. 

The  financial  talent  and  success  of 
Albert  Gallatin  were  equalled  only  by 
his  inflexible  business  integrity — his 
name,  through  scores  of  years,  stand- 
ing forth  as  the  very  embodiment  of 
rare  good  judgment  and  unspotted 
honor.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
illustrations  of  his  high-toned  charac- 
ter, in  business  dealings,  occurred  while 


he  was  in  Europe,  on  a  mission  in  be- 
half of  his  Government,  in  1818.  While 
absent  on  his  duty,  he  rendered  some 
essential  service  to  Mr.  Alexander  Bar- 
ing in  the  negotiation  of  a  loan  from 
the  French  Government.  Mr.  Baring 
in  return  pressed  him  to  take  a  part  of 
the  loan,  ofiering  him  such  advantages 
in  it  that,  without  advancing  any  funds, 
he  could  have  realized  a  fortune.  "  I 
thank  you,"  was  Gallatin's  reply;  "I 
will  not  accept  your  obliging  offer,  be- 
cause a  man  who  has  had  the  direction 
of  the  finances  of  his  country  as  long  as 
I  have,  should  not  die  rich." 


Gresham's  Scheme  of  Exchanges. 

Thomas  Gresham  was  for  many 
years  the  commercial  pride  of  England ; 
and  that  his  character  has  not  been 
overrated  is  proved  by  the  notable 
scheme  he  devised  at  Antwerp,  for  op- 
erating on  the  exchanges,  so  as  to  ren- 
der them  favorable  to  England.  He 
promised  Edward  the  Sixth,  during 
the  reign  of  whom  this  occurred,  that 
if  he  might  pursue  his  own  views,  he 
would  remove  all  his  sovereign's  diffi- 
culties in  two  years.  The  following  is 
his  plan,  in  his  own  words  : 

My  request  shall  be  to  his  majesty 
and  you,  to  appoint  me  out,  weekly, 
twelve  or  thirteen  hundred  pounds,  to 
be  secretly  received  at  one  man's  hands, 
so  that  it  may  be  kept  secret,  and  that 
I  may  thereunto  trust,  and  that  I  may 
make  my  reckoning  thereof  assuredly. 
I  shall  so  use  the  matter  here  in  the 
town  of  Antwerp,  that  every  day  I  will 
be  sure  to  take  up  two  or  three  hundred 
pounds  sterling  by  exchange.  And  thus 
doing,  it  shall  not  be  perceived,  nor  yet 
shall  be  the  occasion  to  make  the  ex- 
change fall.  For  that  it  shall  be  taken  up 
in  my  name.  And  so  by  these  means,  in 
working  by  deliberation  and  time,  the 
merchant's  turn  also  shall  be  served. 
As  also  this  should  bring  all  merchants 
out  of  suspicion,  who  do  nothing  to- 
ward payment  of  the  king's  debts,  and 


116 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


will  not  stick  to  say,  that  ere  the  pay- 
ment of  the  king's  debts  be  made,  it 
■will  bring  down  the  exchange  to  13s. 
4d,  which  I  trust  never  to  see  that 
day.  So  that  by  this  you  may  per- 
ceive if  that  I  do  but  take  up  every  day, 
but  £200  sterling,  it  will  amount  in  one 
year  to  £72,000,  and  the  king's  majesty 
oweth  here  at  this  present  £108,000, 
with  the  interest  money  that  was  pro- 
longed before  this  time.  So  that,  by 
these  means,  in  two  years,  things  will 
be  compassed  accordingly,  and  my 
purpose  set  forth. 

By  this  plan,  he  found  means  in  a 
short  space  to  raise  the  exchange  from 
sixteen  shillings  Flemish  for  the  pound 
sterling  to  twenty-two  shillings,  at 
which  rate  he  discharged  all  the  king's 
debts,  and  in  this  way  money  was  ren- 
dered plentiful  and  trade  prosperous. 


First  Kun  upon  Bankers. 

The  extravagant  luxury  of  the  court 
of  King  Charles,  together  with  its  utter 
want  of  principle,  and  incapacity  to 
carry  on  the  contest  with  Holland,  pro- 
duced the  first  run  upon  tankers  ever 
made.  The  Government  had  suffered 
a  succession  of  humiliating  disasters. 
The  extravagance  of  the  court  had  dis- 
sipated all  the  means  which  Parliament 
had  supplied  for  the  purpose  of  carry- 
ing on  oflTensive  hostilities.  It  was  de- 
termined only  to  wage  defensive  war ; 
but  even  for  defensive  war  the  vast  re- 
sources of  England  were  found  insuffi- 
cient. The  Dutch  insulted  the  British 
coast,  sailed  up  the  Thames,  took  Sheer- 
ness,  and  carried  their  ravages  to  Chat- 
ham. The  blaze  of  the  ships  burning 
in  the  river  was  seen  at  London ;  it 
was  rumored  that  a  foreign  army  had 
landed  at  Gravesend ;  and  military 
men  seriously  proposed  to  abandon  the 
tower. 

The  people,  accustomed  to  the  se- 
cure reign  of  Cromwell,  were  in  utter 
consternation.  The  moneyed  portion 
of  the  community  were  seized  with  a 


panic.  The  country  was  in  danger. 
London  itself  might  be  invaded.  What 
security  was  there,  then,  for  the  money 
advanced  to  the  crown  ?  The  people 
flocked  to  their  debtors ;  they  demand- 
ed their  deposits;  and  London  now 
witnessed  the  first  run  upon  the  bank- 
ers ! 

The  fears  of  the  people,  however, 
proved  fallacious,  for  the  goldsmiths — 
as  the  bankers  were  then  called — met 
all  demands  made  upon  them.  Confi- 
dence was  restored  by  a  proclamation 
from  the  king,  stating  that  the  de- 
mands on  the  exchequer  should  be  met 
as  usual ;  and  the  run  ceased. 


Queen  Anne  saving:  the  Government 
Bank  frozn  Filiate. 

HiSTOET  shows,  in  more  than  one 
instance,  that  the  great  wealth  accumu- 
lated in  the  treasury  of  the  Bank  of 
England,  has  rendered  it  peculiarly 
liable  to  attack  in  times  of  public  ex- 
citement and  tumult.  There  are  al- 
ways idle  and  profligate  men  to  whom 
the  very  name  "  bank "  possesses  a 
charm.  In  1709  the  piety  of  the  people 
of  London  created  a  religious  riot.  One 
Dr.  Henry  Sacheverell,  an  apostate 
Whig,  being  appointed  to  preach  the 
annual  sermon  at  St.  Paul's,  before  the 
Lord  Mayor  and  court  of  aldermen, 
used  the  occasion  as  an  engine  of  attack 
upon  some  of  the  Government  officials. 
The  measureless  impudence  of  the 
preacher  was  rebuked — among  others 
by  Sir  Gilbert  Heathcote,  a  director 
of  the  Bank  of  England.  The  usual 
courtesy  of  having  the  discourse  print- 
ed by  the  city  was  not  extended ;  in 
the  absence  of  which,  Sacheverell  him- 
self had  it  printed,  with  an  inflammatory 
epistle,  dedicating  it  to  Garrard,  the 
Lord  Mayor,  at  whose  instance,  he  al- 
leged, the  publication  was  made.  He 
was  arrested  and  impeached,  in  revenge 
for  the  liberties  he  had  taken  with  the 
Government.  The  populace  chose  to 
support  the  divine  ;  and  a  body  guard 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  m  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


117 


of  London  butchers  accompanied  him 
to  his  trial  at  Westminster  Hall,  which 
the  queen  honored  with  her  presence. 
"  God  bless  the  Church  and  Dr.  Sach- 
everell"  was  echoed  from  mouth  to 
mouth  among  the  "pious"  populace. 
Money  was  thrown  among  them,  by 
some  of  the  better  classes,  who  follow- 
ed in  hackney  coaches.  The  dissenting 
chapels  were  sacked.  The  queen  and 
court  were  in  the  utmost  consternation. 
Multitudes  followed  the  Doctor,  press- 
ing about  him,  and  striving  to  kiss  his 
hand.    Alarm  seized  every  bosom. 

The  anxiety  of  the  bank  directors 
during  this  period  of  tumult  was  great, 
as  every  day  rendered  them  liable  to 
attack.  At  last,  intelligence  reached 
them  that  the  rioters  were  moving  to- 
ward their  locality.  As  a  pious  mob 
was  no  more  to  be  trusted,  pecuniarily, 
than  a  political  one,  the  court,  assem- 
bled to  "  concert  measures  proper  to  be 
taken,"  and  sent  to  the  principal  Secre- 
tary of  State  for  a  guard  to  prevent  any 
attempt  they  might  make  on  the  bank. 
When  the  message  was  received  the 
Earl  of  Sunderland  made  its  tenor 
known  to  the  queen,  who  immediately 
ordered  both  horse  and  foot  out  to  quell 
the  tumult,  leaving  her  own  person 
without  protection.  "  God  will  be  my 
guard,"  was  her  ready  reply,  when  re- 
minded of  her  danger.  A  detachment 
under  Captain  Horsey  was  immediately 
ordered  into  the  city  to  prevent  the 
meditated  attack  on  the  alarmed  direc- 
tors. "Am  I  to  preach  or  fight?" 
was  the  question  of  the  blunt  soldier, 
on  receiving  his  instructions.  There 
proved,  however,  to  be  no  occasion  for 
either.  The  rioters  retreated  in  alarm ; 
the  hank  was  saved  from  pillage,  h/  the 
self-sacrifice  and  devotion  of  the  queen. 


Sendering'  Bank  Notes  Serviceable. 

The  uses  of  bank  notes  are  manifold ; 
but  the  following  is  a  novel  mode  of 
rendering  them  serviceable.  One  of 
these  for  £5  came  in  the  course  of  busi- 


ness to  a  mercantile  house  in  Liverpool. 
On  the  back  of  it  was  written  :  "  If  this 
note  gets  into  the  hands  of  John  Dean, 
of  Longhill,  near  Carlisle,  his  brother 
Andrew  is  a  prisoner  in  Algiers."  The 
circumstance  was  interesting  and  ap- 
peared in  a  newspaper,  in  which  the 
paragraph  was  perused  by  a  person  in 
Carlisle,  who  had  known  in  past  years 
one  Andrew  Dean,  and  was  still  ac- 
quainted with  his  brother  John  Dean, 
of  the  place  named  in  the  note.  The 
son  of  the  latter  happened  to  be  in 
Carlisle,  and  hearing  the  intelligence, 
gave  such  a  report  of  his  uncle  that 
there  was  every  reason  to  believe  he 
was  the  Andrew  Dean  whose  captivity 
became  thus  singularly  known  to  his 
friends  in  England.  Of  these  things 
are  formed  the  romance  of  life ;  and 
the  impossibility  of  assisting  the  Alge- 
rine  slave  must  often  have  been  a 
painful  remembrance  to  the  prisoner's 
brother. 


Supposititious  Will  of  the  Bank-of- 
Engrland  Directors. 

The  success  which  attended  the  op- 
erations of  the  Bank  of  England,  in  its 
early  history,  naturally  provoked  com- 
petition. A  bank  was  proposed  by  Dr. 
Hugh  Chamberlain,  to  advance  money 
on  the  security  of  landed  property,  and 
though  the  Bank  of  England  had  no 
occasion  to  fear  rivalry,  they  petitioned 
against  it,  and  were  heard  by  their 
counsel.  All  that  the  projectors  required 
was  money ;  and  as  that  was  not  ready 
at  the  appointed  period,  "  the  roman- 
tic Land  Bank  "  failed.  A  war  of  most 
sarcastic  pamphlets  ensued  between  the 
friends  of  the  new  scheme  and  those  of 
the  old  institution,  one  of  these  pam- 
phlets being  entitled  :  "  The  Trial  and 
Condemnation  of  the  Land  Bank,  at  Ex- 
eter 'Change,  for  murdering  the  Bank  of 
England  at  Grocers'  Hall."  A  will,  by 
no  means  complimentary  to  the  direc- 
tors of  the  latter,  is  supposed  to  be  pro- 
duced at  the  trial.    It  runs  as  follows  : 


118 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


"Know  all  our  creditors  by  these 
presents,  that  we,  the  Governor  and 
Company  of  the  Bank  of  England,  be- 
ing weak  in  body  through  the  wounds 
received  from  the  Land  Bank  at  Exeter 
Change,  to  whom  we  lay  our  death, 
but  of  as  good  sense  as  ever  we  were, 
finding  ourselves  impaired  in  our  credit 
and  reputation,  and  despairing  of  re- 
covery, do  make  our  last  will  and  testa- 
ment. 

"  1st.  We  bequeath  our  soul  to  the 
devil,  in  order  to  serve  the  public  out 
of  our  creditors'  money ;  and  as  to  the 
qualities  of  our  mind,  we  dispose  them  as 
follows,  namely,  all  our  skill  in  foreign 
exchanges,  and  our  probity  and  candor 
in  making  up  the  accounts  of  the  loss 
thereof,  we  give  to  all  and  every  of  our 
directors,  except  four  or  five,  jointly 
and  severally,  to  hold  to  them,  and 
to  their  successors,  as  heirlooms,  and 
imperishable  monuments  of  their  skill 
and  probity  forever.  All  our  obstinacy 
and  blunders  we  give  unto  our  present 
governor,  upon  trust,  that  he  shall  em- 
ploy one  equal  third  part  thereof  as  one 
of  the  lords  of  the  Admiralty,  and  the 
other  part  thereof  as  Governor  of  the 
Bank  of  England.  All  our  oaths,  im- 
pudence, &c.,  we  give  unto  our  present 
deputy  governor  and  our  dear  Sir  Hen- 
ry Furnese,  to  hold  in  joint  partner- 
ship during  their  lives,  and  the  survivor 
to  have  the  whole.  All  our  shuffling 
tricks  we  give  to  our  dear  Sir  WUliam 
Gore.  All  our  cynicalness  and  self- 
conceit  we  give  to  our  directors,  Sir 
John  Ward  and  Sir  Gilbert  Heathcote, 
equally  to  be  divided  betwixt  them, 
share  and  share  alike,  as  tenants  in 
common.  All  our  blindness  and  fear 
we  give  unto  our  dear  Obadiah  Sedg- 
wick, and  we  also  give  him  £5  in  mon- 
ey to  buy  him  a  new  cloth  coat,  a  new 
half-beaver  hat,  a  second-hand  periwig, 
and  an  old  black  sword  to  solicit  with 
in  the  lobby,  and  also  to  buy  him  a 
pair  of  spectacles  to  write  letters  to 
lords  with. 

"  Afl  to  the  residue  of  our  temporal 


estate  (besides  the  said  £5)  we  dispose 
thereof  as  foUoweth  :  Imprimis,  we  de- 
vise to  our  own  members  (when  they 
shall  have  paid  in  our  £100  per  cent.) 
our  fund  of  £100,000  per  annum,  charg- 
ed and  chargeable,  nevertheless,  with 
the  sum  of  £1,200,000,  for  which  it 
stands  mortgaged,  by  bank  bills,  in  full 
satisfaction  of  all  their  great  expecta- 
tions from  the  probity  and  skiQ  of  our 
directors,  advising  them  to  accept  a  re- 
demption thereof  by  Parliament,  when- 
ever they  can  have  it. 

"  Item — all  our  ready  moneys,  before 
any  of  our  debts  are  paid,  we  give  to 
our  executors,  hereinafter  named,  in 
trust,  that  they  shall,  from  time  to 
time,  until  1st  August,  1696,  lend  the 
same  into  the  exchequer,  upon  condi- 
tion to  defeat  the  establishment  of  the 
Land  Bank ;  and  from  and  after  the  1st 
said  August,  then  to  lend  out  the  same 
into  the  said  exchequer,  upon  security 
of  premises  to  establish  our  executors 
the  next  session,  instead  of  the  Land 
Bank,  and  for  such  other  premiums  as 
our  said  executors  can  give  to  them- 
selves, for  doing  thereof.  And  we  do 
direct  our  said  executors  to  continue 
the  stock  and  pensions  already  allowed 
to  our  past  friends — they  know  where. 
And  after  all  our  ready  moneys  so  dis- 
posed, we  leave  the  residue  of  our  effects 
for  payment  of  bills  and  notes,  at  such 
days  and  hours,  and  in  such  manner  and 
proportion,  and  with  such  preferences, 
as  our  said  executors  shall  see  fit.  And 
we  do  hereby  constitute  our  directors 
executors  of  this  our  will,  giving  each 
of  them  power,  out  of  our  cash,  to 
discount  their  own  tallies,  bills  and 
notes,  at  par  ;  and  the  bills  and  notes 
of  other  of  our  creditors  at  the  highest 
discount  they  can  get  for  the  same. 

"  And  our  hody  ue  commit  to  he  Immed, 
with  all  privacy,  lest  our  creditors  arrest 
our  corpse.  In  witness  wherof,  we 
have  hereunto  set  our  conmion  seal,  4th 
May,  1696." 

The  epitaph  was  as  follows : 

"  Here  lies  the  body  of  the  Bank  of 


BUSINESS  PURSUITS  IN  THEIR  MONEY  RELATIONS. 


119 


England,  who  was  bom  in  the  year 
1694,  died  May  5th,  1696,  in  the  third 
year  of  its  age.  They  had  issue  legiti- 
mate by  their  common  seal,  1,300,000, 
called  bank  biUs,  and  by  their  cashier 

two  million  sons  of called  Speed's 

notes." 

Immense  ConsigTunent  of  Qold  to  a 
New  7ork  House. 

The  great  business  crash  in  1837  was 
attended  by  a  universal  suspension  of 
specie  payments  by  the  banks  through- 
out the  country.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, and  in  view  of  the  extensive 
business  relations  between  the  United 
States  and  England,  application  was 
made  to  the  bankers  and  capitalists  of 
the  latter  coimtry,  for  such  aid  as  would 
encourage  Americans  then  struggling 
to  extricate  themselves  from  embarrass- 
ments, and  enable  them  to  return  to 
specie  payments.  To  effect  this,  Mr. 
James  G.  King,  of  the  house  of  Prime, 
"Ward  &  King,  New  York,  proceeded 
to  England,  and  was  warmly  received 
and  eagerly  consulted  by  bankers  and 
merchants  in  London.  His  calm  and 
assured  tone  and  judgment  did  much 
to  allay  the  apprehension  which  panic 
and  ignorance  of  the  extent  of  resources 
possessed  by  the  American  commercial 
community  and  banks,  had  produced. 

He  startled  the  bank-parlor  in 
Threadneedle-street  by  a  suggestion, 
that  instead  of  embarrassing  American 
merchants  by  discrediting,  as  they  had 
been  doing,  paper  connected  with  the 
American  trade,  it  nearly  concerned  the 
solvency  of  many  of  their  own  cus- 
tomers, and  thus  their  own  interests, 
that  liberal  aid  should  rather  be  ex- 
tended to  that  trade.  He  finally 
brought  them  over  to  these  views,  and 
proposed  that  the  Bank  of  England  at 
once  send  over  several  million  dollars 
in  coin,  to  strengthen  the  American 
banks  and  enable  them  to  resume.  In 
conformity  with  Mr.  King's  opinions 
and  plan,  the  bank  consigned  to  his 
firm  the  immense  sum  of  one  million 


pounds  sterling  in  gold,  upon  the  sole 
responsibility  of  that  house  and  the 
guaranty  of  Baring  Brothers  &  Co. 
The  receipt  of  this  coin  in  America  pro- 
duced at  once  a  realization  of  the  re- 
sult anticipated  by  Mr.  King,  and  the 
transaction  constitutes  one  of  the  most 
important  events  in  the  financial  his- 
tory of  the  United  States,  nor  is  it  ne- 
cessary to  state  that  Mr.  King  added 
much  to  his  already  high  renown  as  a 
merchant  and  banker,  by  the  part  he  so 
grandly  enacted.  The  aflFair  was  wound 
up  without  loss  and  with  great  prompt- 


"  Accommodation  "  offered  at  tlie 
Bank. 

A  CAPITAL  example  of  what  is  often 
termed  "  taking  the  starch  out,"  hap- 
pened in  a  country  bank  in  New  Eng- 
land. A  pompous,  well-dressed  indi- 
vidual entered  the  bank,  and,  address- 
ing the  teller,  who  is  something  of  a 
wag,  inquired : 

"  Is  the  cashier  in  ? " 

"  No,  Sir,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Well,  I  am  dealing  in  pens,  supply- 
ing the  New  England  banks  pretty 
largely,  and  I  suppose  it  will  be  proper 
for  me  to  deal  with  the  cashier." 

"  I  suppose  it  will,"  said  the  teller. 

"  Very  well ;  I  will  wait." 

The  pen  peddler  took  a  chair  and  sat 
composedly  for  a  full  hour,  waiting  for 
the  cashier.  By  that  time  he  began  to 
grow  uneasy,  but  sat  twisting  in  his 
chair  for  about  twenty  minutes,  and, 
seeing  no  prospect  of  a  change  in  his 
circumstances,  asked  the  teller  how 
soon  the  cashier  would  be  in. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  exactly,"  said 
the  waggish  teller, "  but  I  expect  him  in 
about  eight  weeks.  He  has  just  gone  to 
Lake  Superior,  and  told  me  he  thought 
he  should  come  back  in  that  time." 

Peddler  thought  he  would  not  wait. 

"  Oh,  you  may  stay  if  you  wish,"  said 
the  teller,  very  blandly.  "  We  have  no 
objection  to  your  sitting  here  in  the  day- 
time, and  you  can  probably  find  some 


120 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


place  in  town  where  they  will  be  glad 
to  keep  you  nights." 

The  pompous  peddler  disappeared 
without  another  word. 


Pennsylvania  Bonds. 

At  the  time  when  Sidney  Smith,  the 
reverend  canon  of  St,  Paul's,  was  de- 
nouncing the  "  drab-coated  men  of 
Pennsylvania "  for  neglecting  to  pay 
the  interest  on  their  State  stock,  of 
which  he  held  a  considerable  amount, 


he  was  visited  by  a  young  author,  ex- 
ceedingly lavish  in  his  compliments  and 
flattery,  and  who  declared  that  if  he 
could  only  hope  to  attain  to  even  a 
small  degree  of  the  fame  and  honor 
which  he  (Sidney)  enjoyed,  he  would 
be  the  most  happy  man  on  earth.  "  My 
dear  young  Mend,"  said  the  canon, 
"  I  would  that  you  were  not  only  al- 
most, but  altogether  such  as  I  am,  ex- 
cept  these  londs,''''  laying  his  hand  at  the 
same  time  on  the  certificates  of  his 
Pennsylvania  stock  lying  on  the  desk 
before  him. 


PART  THIRD. 


Anecdotes  and  Illustrations  of  the  Successful 
Business  Qualities. 


PAET  THIRD. 

Anecdotes  and  Dlustrations  of  the  Successful  Business  Qualities. 

INTEGRITY,  ENTERPRISE,  ENERGY,  PERSEVERANCE,  COURAGE,  SHREWDNESS,  PUNCTILIOUSNESS, 
PRUDENCE,  AMBITION,  GRATITUDE,  BENEVOLENCE,  GENEROSITY,  ECONOMY;  WITH  PEN- 
CILLINGS  OF  STRIKING  BUSINESS  ADVENTURES,  VICISSITUDES,  EXPLOITS,  AND  ACHIEVE- 
MENTS,  BOTH  SERIOUS  AND  COMICAL. 


'Tis  not  in  mortals  to  command  enccesB  ; 
'  But  we'll  do  more,  Sempronius,  we'll  deserve  it. — Addisok's  "  Cato." 

In  all  negotiations  of  difficulty,  a  man  may  not  look  to  bow  and  reap  at  once  ;  but  must  prepare 
business,  and  so  ripen  it  by  degrees. — Lord  Bacon. 

It  is  in  vain  to  put  wealth  within  the  reach  of  him  who  will  not  stretch  out  his  hand  to  take 
it.— Johnson. 

A  merchant  who  always  tells  the  truth,  and  a  genius  who  never  lies,  are  synonymous  to  a 
saint. — Latateb. 

Of  plain  sound  sense  life's  current  coin  is  made  ; 

"With  that  we  drive  the  most  substantial  trade.— YouNO. 


Making:  Conditions— Kingr  James  and 
the  Com  Merchants. 

DimiNG  the  reign  of  James  the  First, 
a  great  dearth  of  com  happened,  which 
obliged  his  majesty  to  send  for  the 
celebrated  Eastland  Company  of  mer- 
chants. He  told  them,  that  to  obviate 
the  present  scarcity,  they  must  load 
their  homeward-bound  ships  with  com ; 
which  they  promised  to  do,  and  so 
retired.  One  of  the  lords  of  the  coun- 
cil, however,  said  to  the  king,  that  such 
a  promise  signified  little,  unless  they 
agreed  at  wTiat  price  it  should  be  sold ; 
on  which  they  were  all  called  back,  and 
acquainted  that  the  king  desired  a  more 
explicit  answer.  The  deputy  replied  : 
"  Sir,  we  will  freight  and  buy  our 
com  as  cheap  as  we  can,  and  sell  it 
here  as  we  can  aflFord  it;  but  to  be 
confined  to  any  certain  price,  we  can- 
not." Being  still  pressed  for  a  more 
distinct  answer,  the  deputy,  who  was 
not  only  a  princely  merchant  but  a 
great    foxhunter,  said  to  the    king: 


"  Sir,  your  majesty  is  a  lover  of  the 
noble  sport  of  hunting — so  am  I,  and 
I  keep  a  few  dogs ;  but  if  my  dogs  do 
not  love  the  sport  as  well  as  we,  I 
might  as  weU  hunt  with  hogs  as  with 
dogs."  The  king  replied :  "  Say  no 
more,  man,  thou  art  in  the  right ;  go 
and  do  as  well  as  you  can,  but  he  sure 
you  bring  the  com.'''' 


Shaking:  One's  Business  Credit. 

A  good  story  is  told  of  old  Mr.  Ful- 
ler, once  the  famous  banker  of  Comhill, 
London — founder  of  the  firm  now  loca- 
ted in  one  of  the  splendid  bank  palaces 
in  Moorgate  street,  shining  with  plate 
glass,  polished  mahogany,  brass  railings, 
and  bronze  candelabra,  a  glance  at 
which  would  have  half  driven  its  head 
and  originator  into  Bedlam. 

Mr.  Fuller  not  only  lived  at  his  bank, 
but  even  had  his  washing  done  on  the 
spot.  On  such  days,  for  many  a  revolv- 
ing year,  every  one  who  passed  his 
door  at  or  about  noon  might  have  seea 


124 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


a  single  pint  of  porter  placed  at  the 
foot  of  the  staircase;  that  was  the 
washerwoman's  allowance.  In  process 
of  time  this  constant  pint,  so  long  a 
pint,  became  a  pot,  and  forthwith  there 
was  a  sensation  at  the  bank,  in  Corn- 
hill,  and  all  along  Lombard  street ! 
The  twelve  o'clock  pint  of  beer  that 
had  stood  so  long,  at  Fuller's  bank, 
had  been  increased  to  a  pot!  Every 
one  talked  of  the  event;  and  at  last 
one  customer — whether  a  dull,  hard- 
hearted, unhappy  miser,  or  some  solemn 
mocker,  pleased  to  trifle  with  the  infir- 
mities of  poor  human  nature,  cannot  be 
told — drew  the  senior  partner's  atten- 
tion to  the  circumstance,  in  this  formal 
manner :  Entering  the  bank,  one  morn- 
ing, and  finding  the  old  gentleman 
fixed,  as  usual,  woodwork-like  to  his 
desk,  as  if  he  was  a  component  part  of 
that  article,  he  drew  near  and  thus  be- 
gan: 

"  I  have  banked  with  you  now,  Mr. 
Fuller,  for  a  good  many  years." 

Mr.  Fuller  hereupon  bowed,  not  his 
head,  but  head,  shoulders,  and  half  his 
body,  smirked,  and  replied :  "  Yes, 
many  thanks  for  your  favors ;  you  have, 
sir." 

"  I  have,  Mr.  Fuller,"  continued  the 
other, "  and  have  always  felt  great  satis- 
faction in  keeping  my  account  with 
you  until  lately." 

"Indeed,  sir,"  interrupted  the  old 
gentleman,  with  quick  anxiety,  laying 
down  his  pen,  and  pushing  his  spec- 
tacles from  his  eyes  up  to  his  forehead ; 
"pray,  what  has  happened? — we  are 
the  same  as  ever." 

"Pardon  me,  Mr.  Fuller;  I  have 
noticed  for  many  a  year,  that  on  a  cer- 
tain day  in  the  week  a  pint  of  porter 
has  regularly  stood  at  the  foot  of  your 
stairs.  I  always  could  tell,  when  I  saw 
that  pint,  that  it  was  ■Nyashing-day  with 
you,  and  greatly  pleased  I  used  to  be  at 
that  proof  of  your  economy;  for,  Mr. 
Fuller,  the  man  who  is  intrusted  with 
the  keeping  of  other  men's  money, 
should  know  how  to  take  care  of  his 


own ;  and  he  cannot  give  any  better  or 
stronger  proof  of  what  he  is  capable  of 
in  that  respect,  than  by  being  moderate 
and  abstemious  in  his  housekeeping. 
Therefore  I  was  always,  as  I  have  just 
said,  well  pleased  to  see  you  were  not 
wasteful  with  your  washerwoman.  I  felt 
sure,  while  that  continued,  that  my  de- 
posits in  this  house  were  safe— perfect- 
ly safe,  sir.  (This  was  said  with  an  em- 
phasis that  weighed  all  of  thirteen 
pounds,  and  with  a  look  that  set  the 
tips  of  Mr.  Fuller's  fingers  a-twirling, 
as  if  a  small  electric  battery  had  been 
brought  to  play  upon  his  nervous  sys- 
tem.) But  I  see  you  are  changing — you 
are  breaking  loose,  Mr.  Fuller;  you 
now  allow  your  washerwoman  not  a 
pint,  but  a  whole  pot  of  beer,  every 
washing-day ;  and  I  must  say,  sir,  that 
if  you  go  on  doubling  your  expenditures 
at  that  rate,  it  may  be  time  for  your 
customers  to  be  looking  after  their  bal- 
ances." 

Mr.  Fuller,  it  is  said,  took  this  re- 
buke quite  seriously,  and  with  humble 
thanks,  assuring  his  customers  that 
business  had  increased  —  that  more 
resident  clerks  were  now  employed 
than  formerly — and  that,  as  there  was 
more  washing  to  be  done,  helpers  had 
been  hired,  and  an  extra  allowance  of 
beer  permitted.  But  this  he  promised 
to  retrench  at  once,  and  he  kept  his 
word.  The  pot  of  beer  was  counter- 
manded, the  "  standard  "  pint  replaced, 
and  this  was  never  afterward  exceeded 
during  the  old  banker's  lifetime. 

Tankee  Shrewdness  Handsomely 
Illustrated. 

When  the  prospect  of  founding  a 

large  manufacturing  town  on  the  Merri- 

mac  River  was  in  contemplation,  some 

of  the  persons  interested  in  that  great 

commercial  enterprise  sent  up  Mr.  B.,  a 

young  gentleman  skilled  as  an  engineer, 

and  who  was  also  fond  of  sporting,  to 

view  the  water  privilege  carefully,  and 

to  make  inquiry  as  to  the  prices  of  land 

in  the  vicinity.    He  went  with  his  dog. 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


125 


gun,  and  fishing  tackle,  and  obtained 
board  in  a  farmer's  house,  a  Mr.  F.  He 
spent  his  time  in  viewing  the  falls,  the 
canal,  the  river  and  grounds,  with  occa- 
sional fowling  and  fishing. 

After  spending  some  time  there,  in 
talking  with  the  farmer,  one  evening 
he  told  him  "  that  he  liked  the  place 
very  well,  and  thought  he  should  be 
pleased  to  come  and  live  there."  The 
man  said  "he  should  be  pleased  to 
have  him."  "  Well,  Mr.  F.,  what  will 
you  take  for  your  farm  ? "  "  Why,  I 
don't  want  to  sell  it,  Mr.  B. ;  nor  would 
I,  unless  I  can  get  twice  what  it  is 
worth,  as  I  am  satisfied  here,  and  don't 
want  to  move."  "  Well,  what  do  you 
say  it  is  worth,  Mr.  F.  ? "  "  Why,  it  is 
worth  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  I 
can't  sell  it  for  less  than  three  thousand 
dollars."  "  That  is  too  much,"  said 
Mr.  B.,  "I  can't  give  that."  "Very 
well,  you  need  not."  Here  the  conver- 
sation ended. 

Mr.  B.  continued  his  sporting,  and, 
having  received  his  instructions  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days,  renewed  his  talk 
with  Mr.  F.,  and  said  to  him,  "  Well, 
Mr.  F.,  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  I 
should  like  to  live  here  very  well,  and 
though  you  ask  so  much,  I  will  take 
up  with  your  offer,  and  give  you  three 
thousand  dollars."  "  Why,  as  to  that, 
Mr.  B.,  you  did  not  take  my  farm  when 
I  offered  it  to  you,  and  I  am  not  willing 
to  sell  it  now,  for  anything  less  than 
six  thousand  dollars."  "  You  are  jok- 
ing, Mr.  F. ! "  "  Not  so,  Mr.  B.,  I  am 
in  earnest,  and  I  shan't  continue  my 
offer  more  than  twenty-four  hours." 

B.,  finding  he  was  determined,  went 
off  for  instructions,  and  the  next  day 
told  Mr.  F.  he  would  give  him  six  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  purchase  was  made, 
deed  passed,  and  money  paid. 

Some  time  afterward,  Mr.  B.  asked 
the  farmer  what  reason  he  had  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days  to  double  the  price 
for  his  farm,  and  to  insist  upon  it. 
"  Why,  Mr.  B.,  I  will  tell  you ;  a  day 
or  two  after  I  offered  you  the  farm  for 


three  thousand  dollars,  I  saw  two  men 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Merrimac 
River,  sitting  on  a  rock,  and  talking 
for  some  time ;  then  they  got  up,  and 
one  went  up  the  river,  and  the  other 
down,  and  after  some  time  they  re- 
turned, seemed  in  earnest  conversation 
for  half  an  hour  or  more,  when  they 
arose  and  went  away.  I  did  not  know 
what  it  meant,  but  I  thought  something 
was  in  the  wind,  and  I  determined,  if 
you  asked  me  again  to  sell  my  farm, 
I  would  demand  double  the  price." 
Thus  began  the  purchase,  by  Boston 
merchants,  of  the  land  upon  which  the 
city  of  Lowell  has  been  erected. 


Cltieen  Jane's  Opinion  of  Merclmnts. 

Jake,  of  France,  wife  of  Philip  the 
Fair,  while  residing  a  few  days  at 
Bruges,  was  mortified  at  the  splendor 
of  the  appearance  of  the  merchants' 
wives,  judging  by  that  of  her  own. 
"  I  thought,"  said  the  elegant  and  royal 
visitor,  "  I  had  been  the  only  queen 
here ;  but  I  find  there  are  above  six 
hundred  queens  in  this  city  1 " 


Boyhood  Strugrg-les  of  a  Merchant. 

"  I  REMEMBEK,"  Said  Gidcon  Lee,  in 
after  life,  "  when  I  was  a  lad  living 
with  my  uncle,  it  was  my  business  to 
feed  and  milk  the  cows.  And  many  a 
time,  long  before  light  in  the  morning, 
I  was  started  off,  in  the  cold  and  snow, 
without  shoes,  to  my  work,  and  used 
to  think  it  a  luxury  to  warm  my  frozen 
feet  on  the  spot  just  before  occupied  by 
the  animal  I  had  roused.  It  taught  me  to 
reflect,  and  to  consider  possibilities ;  and 
I  remember  asking  myself,  "Is  it  not 
possible  for  me  to  better  my  condition  ? " 

Lee  and  tTih  Travelling  Companion. 

Before  establishing  himself  perma- 
nently as  a  leather  merchant  in  New 
York,  Gideon  Lee  made  a  voyage  to 
St.  Mary's,  Georgia,  taking  with  him 


126 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


some  small  ventures  of  leather.  On 
returning  to  New  York,  the  vessel  in 
which  he  took  passage  was  wrecked 
off  Cape  Fear,  and  he  barely  saved  him- 
self, with  the  few  clothes  he  had  on. 
Accompanied  by  a  faithful  friend, 
named  Smith,  who  had  nursed  him 
while  sick  at  St.  Mary's,  he  had  no 
other  means  of  getting  to  the  North 
than  to  trudge  it  on  foot.  The  journey 
was  a  most  tedious  and  dismal  one ; 
several  days  of  it  were  through  the 
pine  barrens  of  North  Carolina,  not 
meeting  with  a  house  in  a  day's  travel. 
Smith  was  a  brother  Yankee,  and  bore 
the  hardships  with  great  courage  and 
good  humor.  Mr.  Lee  used  to  relate 
an  anecdote  of  him,  illustrating  this 
latter  trait,  as  well  as  the  dismal  char- 
acter of  the  country  through  which 
they  were  travelling.  "  One  day,"  said 
he,  "  we  had  been  trudging  along, 
nothing  to  be  seen  but  the  pitch-pine 
forests,  before  and  behind,  and  on  both 
sides  of  us ;  shoes  worn  out,  and  our 
feet  bleeding,  myself  before,  and  Smith 
following  after ;  neither  of  us  had  ex- 
changed a  word  for  some  time,  when 
Smith  suddenly  spoke  out  in  his  nasal 
twang— "Mr.  Lee!"  "Well,  Smith, 
well,  what  about  it ? "  "I  wish  I 
could  hear  it  thunder ! "  "  Hear  it 
thunder  1  why  do  you  wish  so  ? "  "  Be- 
cause they  say  thunder  is  God's  voice, 
and  if  I  could  only  hear  it  thunder  I 
should  know  I  was  on  God's  earth ;  as 
it  is  now,  I  don't  know  where  I  am." 


Pirst  Penny  Ckiined  by  a  Millionnaire. 

An  eminent  English  millionnaire,  who 
rose — as  most  of  that  class  have — from 
obscurity,  says  that  the  first  money  he 
ever  recollects  possessing,  was  gained 
in  the  following  manner:  I  went,  he 
says,  to  school,  a  distance  of  three 
miles.  One  day,  on  my  way,  I  picked 
up  a  horse-shoe,  carried  it  about  three 
mUes,  and  sold  it  to  a  blacksmith  for  a 
penny.  That  was  the  first  penny  I  ever 
recollect  possessing ;   and  I  kept  it  for 


some  time.  A  few  weeks  after,  the 
same  man  called  my  attention  to  a  boy 
who  was  carrying  off  some  dirt  oppo- 
site his  door ;  and  offered,  if  I  would 
beat  the  boy,  who  was  somewhat  big- 
ger than  myself,  to  give  me  a  penny.  I 
did  so  ;  he  made  a  mark  upon  the  pen- 
ny, and  promised  that  if  I  would  bring 
it  to  him  that  day  fortnight,  he  would 
give  me  another.  I  took  it  to  him  at 
the  appointed  time,  when  he  at  once 
fulfilled  his  promise,  and  I  thus  became 
possessed  of  three  pence ;  since  which 
I  have  never  been  without  money,  ex- 
cept when  I  gave  it  all  away.  It  is 
hard  to  tell  which  point  involves  the 
most  difficulty — the  art  of  first  obtain- 
ing a  little  "  nest  egg,"  or  the  use  and 
management  of  it  when  once  possessed. 


Senevolence  of  G-oldschmid,  the  Old 
Jew  Banker. 

Goldschmid's  wealth  seemed,  on 
some  occasions,  hardly  greater  than 
his  pure-minded  benevolence.  It  is 
related  that  at  one  time  a  clergyman 
of  the  Church  of  England,  who  with  a 
family  had  met  with  some  unforeseen 
misfortunes,  was  in  debt  the  sum  of 
four  hundred  and  sixty  pounds.  From 
the  good  character  and  conduct  of  the 
poor  debtor,  a  number  of  friends  and 
parishioners  were  induced  to  open  a 
subscription  for  making  up  the  amount ; 
but  being  unable  amongst  themselves 
to  raise  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds,  the  collectors  were  advised 
to  try  their  success  by  applying  to  the 
benevolent  Jew  banker;  this  was  ac- 
cordingly done.  On  application,  the 
collectors  were  ordered  to  call  in  the 
course  of  a  day  or  two,  when  Mr.  Gold- 
schmid  promised  to  inquire  into  the 
state  of  the  facts.  He  did  so  without 
delay,  and  finding  it  a  truly  worthy 
case,  on  their  second  application,  he 
presented  them  with  a  check  for  the 
whole  amount  of  the  debt,  desiring 
them,  at  the  same  time,  to  return  the 
amount  of  subscriptions  raised   else- 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


127 


■where   to  the  poor  debtor,  to  begin 
the  world  with  afresh. 


Reynolds,  the  Ohaxitable  Cluaker  Mer- 
chant. 

The  late  venerated  Richard  Rey- 
nolds, a  Quaker  merchant  in  Bristol, 
Eng.,  who  amassed  a  princely  fortune, 
was  accustomed  to  speak  of  himself,  in 
connection  with  his  wealth  and  the  use 
of  it,  as  merely  a  steward  of  the  Al- 
mighty. Thus,  hfs  entire  income,  after 
deducting  the  moderate  expenses  of  his 
family,  was  devoted  to  charitable  pur- 
poses ;  and  he  thought  his  round  of 
duty  still  incomplete,  unless  he  devoted 
his  time  likewise.  He  often  deprived 
himself  of  the  slumber  which  his  years 
craved,  to  watch  beside  the  bed  of  sick- 
ness and  pain,  and  to  administer  conso- 
lation to  those  in  trouble.  On  one  oc- 
casion, he  wrote  to  a  friend  in  London, 
requesting  to  know  what  object  of  char- 
ity presented  itself,  stating  that  he  had 
not  spent  the  whole  of  his  income.  His 
friend  informed  him  of  a  number  of 
persons  confined  in  prison  for  small 
debts.  He  paid  the  whole,  and  swept  that 
miserable  abode  of  its  distressed  tenants. 
Most  of  his  donations  were  inclosed  in 
blank  covers,  bearing  the  modest  signa- 
ture of  "  A  Friend."  A  lady  once  ap- 
plied to  him  in  behalf  of  an  orphan, 
saying,  "  When  he  is  old  enough,  I  will 
teach  him  to  name  and  thank  his  bene- 
fector."  "Nay,"  replied  the  Quaker, 
"thou  art  wrong.  We  do  not  thank 
the  clouds  for  rain.  Teach  him  to  look 
higher,  and  thank  Him  who  giveth  both 
the  clouds  and  the  rain.  My  talent  is 
the  meanest  of  all  talents — a  little  sor- 
did dust ;  but  as  the  man  in  the  para- 
ble was  accountable  for  his  talent,  so 
am  I  accountable  to  the  great  Lord  of 
all." 


Liberality  of  7akooleff,  the  Russian 
Merchant. 

The  rich  sheet  iron  merchant,  Ivan 
Alexevitch  YakooleflF,  at  one  time  most 
generously    presented    to    the    Czar, 


through  Count  OrloflF,  an  order  on  the 
bank  for  one  million  of  silver  rubles, 
equal  to  nearly  eight  hundred  thoumnd 
dollars,  to  make  good  the  defalcation  of 
Politkofisky  in  the  Invalid  Fund,  thus 
saving  present  and  former  members  of 
the  commission,  with  their  families,  from 
ruin,  as  their  estates  and  other  prop- 
erty were  all  to  be  taken  to  indemnify 
the  government. 

Politkofisky  was  president  of  the 
commission  for  the  management  of  the 
Invalid  Fund,  and  possessed  the  un- 
bounded confidence  of  his  associates  in 
the  commission.  His  death  revealed 
the  defalcation,  which  probably  had 
been  increasing  for  years  until  raised 
to  above  a  million  of  silver  rubles ;  for 
all  which  the  emperor  held  the  com- 
mission individually  responsible.  This 
would  have  involved  most  of  them  in 
ruin,  but  from  which  the  noble  deed  of 
Yakooleff'  rescued  them. 


French  Mercantile  Independence. 

Soon  after  Colbert  came  into  the 
management  of  the  finances  of  France, 
he  sent  for  the  principal  merchants  of 
that  kingdom ;  and  in  order  to  ingra- 
tiate himself  with  them,  and  to  acquire 
their  confidence,  he  asked  what  he 
could  do  for  them  ?  They  unanimous- 
ly answered,  "Pray,  sir,  do  nothing! 
Laissez  nous  faireP  "  Let  us  do  for 
ourselves." 


Patriotic  Merchants  of  the  Bevolntion. 

In  that  immortal  Congress  that 
adopted  the  Declaration  of  American 
Independence,  sat  many  merchants. 
It  was  the  merchant  John  Hancock, 
that  presided  over  its  deliberations 
and  that  first  put  a  bold  and  unshrink- 
ing mercantile  signature  to  that  peri- 
lous Declaration.  With  him,  in  glory 
and  in  danger,  were  the  merchants, 
Robert  Morris  and  George  Clymer,  of 
Pennsylvania ;  Elbridge  Gerry  and 
Samuel  Adams,  of  Massachusetts ;  Wil- 


128 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Ham  WMpple,  of  New  Hampshire; 
Philip  Livingstoii  and  Francis  Lewis, 
of  New  York ;  Joseph  Hewes,  of  North 
Caroliaa;  and  Barton  Gwinnett,  of 
Georgia. 


01d-£a,shioned  Shopkeepers. 

Formerly,  the  English  shopkeeper 
took  short  turns  before  his  door,  cry- 
ing, "  What  d'ye  lack,  sir  ?  What  d'ye 
lack,  madam  ? "  and  then  he  rehearsed 
a  list  of  the  commodities  he  dealt  in. 
When  he  became  weary,  this  task  was 
assumed  by  his  apprentice ;  and  thus  a 
London  street  was  a  Babel  of  strange 
sounds,  by  which  the  wayfarer  was 
dinned  at  every  step.  The  articles  of 
shopkeeper  were  often  of  a  very  hetero- 
geneous description  in  those  days  of 
"  auld  lang  syne."  They  were  huddled 
in  bales  within  the  proprietor's  little 
shop,  and  in  the  midst  of  them  the 
wife  and  daughter  of  the  master  were 
ensconced,  plying  the  needle  or  knit- 
ting wires,  and  eyeing  the  passing  crowd. 

In  one  of  the  plays  of  the  time,  the 
merchant  thus  explains  to  his  idle  ap- 
prentice the  way  in  which  he  grew  rich : 
"  Did  I  gain  my  wealth  by  ordinaries  ? 
No.  By  exchanging  gold?  No.  By 
keeping  of  goldsmiths'  company  ?  No. 
I  hired  me  a  little  shop,  bought  low, 
took  small  gains,  kept  no  debt-book, 
garnished  my  shop — for  want  of  plate 
— with  good,  thrifty,  wholesome  sen- 
tences, as  :  '  Keep  thy  shop,  and  thy 
shop  wUl  keep  thee;'  'Light  gains 
make  heavy  purses ; ' '  'Tis  good  to  be 
merry  and  wise.' "  But,  although  the 
shops  and  warehouses  of  the  London 
traffickers  were  so  humble,  their  houses 
were  of  a  very  diflferent  description ;  so 
that,  even  as  early  as  the  reign  of 
James,  the  dwelling  of  a  chief  mer- 
chant rivalled  the  palace  of  a  noble- 
man in  the  splendor  of  its  furniture, 
among  which  cushions  and  window 
pillows  of  velvet  and  damask  had 
become  common. 

At  the  hour  of  nine,  the  Bow  leU 


rang,  which  was  a  signal  for  the  em- 
ployed to  leave  off  work,  and  repair  to 
supper  and  to  bed — a  bell  which  the 
master  thought  too  soon,  and  the  ap- 
prentice too  late.  Only  a  great  mag- 
nifico,  or  royal  merchant,  was  thought 
worthy  the  honor  and  privilege  of  pre- 
fixing "  Master  "  or  "  Mr."  to  his  name, 
in  those  times— the  addition  of  gentU- 
man,  or  esquire,  would  have  thrown 
everybody  in  such  a  man's  circle  into 
an  uproar  indeed. 


liocking:  up  Foreign  Merchants  in 
Cngrland. 

London  is  mentioned  by  Tacitus  as 
the  chief  residence  of  merchants,  and 
the  great  mart  of  trade  and  commerce. 
Yet,  before  the  charter  of  Rimnymede, 
foreign  merchants  were  permitted  to 
visit  England  only  during  the  period 
of  public  fairs,  and  were  restricted  to 
a  residence  of  forty  days.  Afterward  ' 
a  German  company  monopolized  the 
trade  of  the  country  for  several  centu- 
ries, and  its  members  were  regularly 
locked  up  at  night — getting  comfort, 
however,  from  this  species  of  indignity, 
by  keeping  the  whole  foreign  conamerce 
of  the  realm  to  themselves.  Singularly 
enough,  long  after  the  importance  of 
commerce  had  been  recognized  in  other 
countries,  the  people  of  England,  now 
the  most  mercantile  on  the  face  of  the 
globe,  neglected  the  occupation  which 
has  mainly  contributed  to  their  great- 
ness. 


Merchants  of  the  Golden  Pleece. 

There  was  formerly,  and  for  many 
years  resident  in  London,  a  company 
of  Dutch  traders,  located  at  a  place 
called  the  Stilyard;  it  was  granted 
many  privileges  by  Henry  the  Eighth, 
in  return  for  its  occasional  loans 
which  enabled  him  to  carry  on  his 
wars.  Its  profits  and  wealth  be- 
came so  immense  that  a  rival  company 
of  traders  and  merchants  was  finally 
created,  imder  the  patronage  of  Queen 


MUTATIONS  Ot   A  MEKCHANT'S  LIFE. 


SUCCESSFFL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


129 


Elizabeth,  and  its  title  was  that  of 
"The  Company  of  English  Merchant 
Adventurers."  This  company  had  for 
many  years  the  principal  trade  to 
Germany,  the  Netherlands,  and  the 
adjacent  countries  —  establishing  its 
marts  in  all  the  principal  cities  of 
western  Europe,  and  doing  an  immense 
business,  especially  in  the  exporta- 
tion of  English  woollens.  It  became 
abroad  what  the  Stilyard  merchants 
had  been  in  England;  its  credit  was 
in  repute,  and  its  wealth  famous 
throughout  Europe.  The  general  esti- 
mation in  which  it  was  held  abroad 
may  be  judged  of  from  the  fact  that 
Philip  of  Burgundy,  because  of  the 
great  revenue  ensuing  to  his  treasury 
from  the  duties  on  English  woollen, 
adopted  as  the  name  and  emblem  of 
his  favorite  order  of  knighthood,  that 
of  "  The  Golden  Fleece." 


Who  were  the  First  Whalemen  P 

The  interesting  question  has  often 
been  discussed — "Who  were  the  first 
whalemen?"  In  answer  to  this  it  is 
stated,  not  the  sea-ruling  Briton,  not 
the  hardy  Dane,  not  the  steadily  endur- 
ing, amphibious  Dutchman,  not  the 
bold  Norwegian,  child  of  the  sea  kings. 
No  :  the  Spaniards  —  Biscayans  and 
Bosques — ^first  dared  attack  the  Levia- 
than on  the  high  seas,  so  early  as  1575. 
True,  some  have  tried  to  prove  the 
Norwegians  were  the  first  in  the  field, 
but  they  have  not  made  out  a  clear 
case.  It  was  probably  the  narwhal, 
grampus,  and  other  small  versions  of 
the  great  whale,  they  hunted.  The  old 
ninth  century  navigator,  Olithore  the 
Norwegian,  whose  wonderful  adven- 
tures were  taken  down  from  Ms  own  lips 
by  no  less  a  man  than  King  Alfred,  often 
speaks  of  having  slain  sixty  whales  in 
two  days — ^flatly  impossible,  if  right 
whales  had  been  in  question.  Thus 
much  is  certain :  the  first  whalebone 
which  ever  found  its  way  into  England, 
was  picked  up  from  the  wreck  of  a  Bis- 
9 


cayan  ship,  in  1594 ;  and  when,  at  the 
close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  Eng- 
lish first  began  to  fit  out  whaleships, 
they  were  obliged  to  call  on  Biscayans 
to  direct  them  in  their  preparations, 
and  to  fill  the  more  important  offices  in 
the  ship. 

♦ 

Mutations  of  a  Merchant's  Life  :  the 
Kew  Orleans  Sockseller. 

A  STBANGE  old  man  is  he,  who  may 
be  seen  any  day,  be  it  cold  or  hot,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Poydras  Mar- 
ket, New  Orleans,  with  a  bundle  of 
socks  in  his  hand  or  on  the  banquette 
beside  him.  Selling  socks  is  now  his 
only  business;  yet  time  was  when  it 
was  not  so.  Of  the  multiform  muta- 
tions of  human  life,  that  old  man  has 
experienced  more  than  mortal's  share. 
See  how  he  mutters  to  himself,  and 
smiles,  half  insanely,  as  he  praises  his 
wares  to  his  real  or  pretended  custom- 
ers !  One  eye  is  closed,  and  the  lid  is 
swollen,  and  the  face  of  the  sockseller 
is  covered  with  scars.  These  are  the 
traces  left  in  the  old  man's  face  by 
assassin  burglars,  who  once  robbed  him 
of  his  goods,  and  left  him  as  one  dead, 
in  his  house  on  Circus  street.  It  was 
long  before  this  old  man  recovered,  and 
when  he  did,  his  intellect  was  a  wreck, 
and  nothing  save  his  business  habits 
was  left  to  keep  him  from  total  insan- 
ity. Since  then  he  has  followed  the 
business  of  selling  socks. 

But  it  were  unjust  to  the  old  man  to 
give  so  imperfect  an  abstract  of  his  his- 
tory. Let  us  roll  back  the  tide  of  time 
some  quarter  of  a  century,  and  a  tall, 
fine-looking  gentleman  may  be  ob- 
served walking  down  Broadway,  in 
New  York.  Fair  ladies  ogle  him  as 
he  passes,  and  feel  flattered  when  he 
smiles  on  them.  And  is  it  strange? 
for  the  smiler  of  that  day  is  a  wholesale 
merchant,  of  princely  fortune.  After 
that  changes  come.  The  merchant, 
broken  in  fortune,  removed  to  New  Or- 
leans, and  his  remains  may  now  be 
found  in  the  muttering  sockseller  of 


130 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


the  Poydras  Market,  There  is  a 
strange  tale  of  love  connected  -with 
the  old  man;  but  here  let  the  veil 
drop. 


Itecoveringr  a  Wasted  Fortune. 

It  is  related  of  a  young  man,  that, 
having  fallen  heir  to  a  large  estate,  he 
engaged  in  a  career  of  profligacy  and 
wasteful  expenditures,  until  he  found 
himself  utterly  impoverished  and  desti- 
tute, cast  off  by  his  former  associates, 
and  having  no  resource  to  which  to 
look  for  relief.  His  misery  was  so 
great  that  he  resolved  upon  self-de- 
structioti,  and  wandering  forth  to  find 
some  suitable  place  for  the  execution 
of  his  desperate  purpose,  found  him- 
self on  an  eminence  which  overlooked 
the  estates  that  once  belonged  to  him. 
He  sat  down  and  thought  of  his  folly. 
A  long  time  he  mused  in  silence. 
When  he  arose,  a  new  purpose  had 
taken  possession  of  him.  He  said  to 
himself^  "  Those  estates  shall  again  be 
mine,"  and  at  once  he  set  about  carry- 
ing out  the  plan  he  had  thus  cogitated 
in  silence. 

As  he  passed  along,  he  saw  some  coal 
lying  before  a  door,  and  he  asked  to  be 
employed  to  carry  it  into  the  house. 
His  wish  was  gratified,  and  after  finish- 
ing his  task,  he  was  master  of  a  shil- 
ling. He  soon  earned  another  by  a 
similar  process,  and  when  hungry  he 
satisfied  his  cravings  in  the  most  frugal 
manner.  Month  after  month,  year  after 
year,  he  pursued  his  plan,  and  in  pro- 
cess of  time  achieved  his  end.  The 
-estates  once  forfeited  by  his  prodigality 
were  regained  by  decision,  energy,  con- 
iCentration  of  purpose  upon  a  single 
lend. 


Portnnes  at  a  Singrle  Blow. 

"I  FIND,"  said  a  shrewd  merchant, 
"  I  make  most  money  when  I  am  least 
anxious  about  it."  There  is  practical 
philosophy  in  this  remark.    Caution, 


prudence,  sagacity,  and  deliberation 
are  all  necessary  to  business  success. 
Some  men,  it  is  true,  get  rich  suddenly, 
but  the  great  majority  do  not,  and  can- 
not. Bonaparte  once  said,  "  I  have  no 
idea  of  a  merchant's  acquiring  a  for- 
tune as  a  general  wins  a  battle — at  a 
single  blow."  Such  fortunes  too  often 
vanish  suddenly. 


Mexchant  Patrons  of  liiterature. 

There  are  honored  names,  and  not  a 
few — such  as  Peabody,  Bates,  Girard, 
Lawrence,  Perkins,  Cooper,  Astor,  «&c. 
— ^that  might  be  dwelt  upon  in  proof 
of  the  connection  that  may  and  does 
exist  between  trade  and  letters.  Prom- 
inent among  those  of  a  former  day,  were 
Cosmo  and  Lorenzo  de  Medici,  the 
wealthiest  men  of  Europe  in  their  day. 
And  yet  they  were  merchants  and 
bankers,  and  were  preeminent  still  for 
their  generosity  and  devotion  to  letters. 
To  this  merchant  family  belongs  the 
lasting  honor  of  having  restored  the 
empire  of  science  and  true  taste  to 
Europe,  after  a  dreary  night  of  dark- 
ness. By  their  efforts,  many  valuable 
manuscripts  were  saved  from  total  de- 
struction. The  Medici  thought  the  dis- 
covery of  a  manuscript  equivalent  to 
the  conquest  of  a  kingdom.  It  is 
doubtful,  indeed,  if  we  are  not  indebt- 
ed to  them  for  most  of  the  perfect 
copies  now  known  of  the  Greek  and 
Roman  classics.  It  is  remarkable,  too, 
that  they  lived  at  a  time  when  they 
were  enabled  to  find  and  preserve  so 
many  valuable  manuscripts  just  before 
the  invention  of  printing,  and  previous- 
ly to  the  wonderful  extension  of  trade 
and  commerce.  The  Medici  were  by 
education  and  pursuit  merchants,  yet 
they  devoted  their  energies  for  a  long 
lifetime,  not  only  to  extend  their  vast 
commercial  relations,  but  also  to  col- 
lect and  found  great  libraries,  establish 
galleries,  and  encourage  the  fine  arts. 
The  names  of  Cooper,  Astor,  Perkins, 
Lawrence,  Corcoran,  Peabody,  &c.,  of 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


131 


the    present  day,   rank    in    the  same 
noble  category. 


Napoleon  and  Byron  on  Trading:. 

Kapoleon  openly  expressed  his  aver- 
sion to  commerce  and  those  engaged  in 
it.  When  a  deputation  of  commercial 
men  came  out  from  Antwerp  to  wel- 
come him  on  his  approach  to  that  city, 
he  met  them  with  the  words,  "  I  don't 
like  merchants  !  A  merchant  is  a  man 
who  would  sell  his  country  for  a  shil- 
ling ! " — "  Je  n'aime  pas  les  n^-gociants  ? 
Un  n^gociant  est  un  homme  qui  ven- 
drait  sa  patrie  pour  un  petit  ecu  ! "  He 
despised  the  walks  of  trade,  and  in  one 
of  his  consultations  with  the  banker 
Ouvrard,  uttered  the  reproach  that  he 
had  degraded  loyalty  to  the  level  of 
trade. 

The  curious  opinion  that  there  is 
something  derogatory  in  trade,  was 
exemplified,  too,  even  in  a  distin- 
guished British  statesman,  at  the  Con- 
gress of  Vienna,  who  asserted,  in  the 
presence  of  the  representatives  of  Eu- 
rope, that  England  was  not  dependent 
on  commerce.  This  was  intended  as 
an  offset  to  the  sneer  of  Napoleon 
against  the  "  nation  of  traders,"  and 
arose  from  a  desire  to  "  sink  the  shop  " 
before  the  plumed  and  epauletted  array 
which  dazzled  and  bewildered  the  civi- 
lian into  an  ungrateful  forgetfulness  of 
the  very  class,  without  whose  aid  em- 
perors and  kings,  if  suffered  to  retain 
power  at  all,  would  have  dwindled  to 
provincial  governors. 

Byron  said,  "  If  Commerce  fills  the 
purse,  she  clogs  the  brain  ; "  and  yet  he 
himself  bravely  encountered  that  peril 
by  traflScking  his  own  verses  -with  a  thrift 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  Baillie 
Nicol  Jarvie,  and  a  shrewd  attention  to 
detail  which  might  have  won  the  heart 
of  Tim  Linkinwater.  His  practice  re- 
futed his  theory,  and  his  driving  a  sharp 
bargain,  at  the  highest  market  rates,  for 
the  proceeds  of  his  genius,  resulted  in 
no  apparent  diminution  of  his  acuteness. 


Mercantile  Character  Comparatively 
Estimated. 

A  SHOPKEEPER  at  Doncaster  had  for 
his  trading  virtues  obtained  the  name  of 
the  little  rascal.  A  stranger  once  frank- 
ly asked  him  why  this  appellation  had 
been  given  to  him.  "  To  distinguish 
me  from  the  rest  of  my  trade,"  quoth 
he,  "  who  are  all  great  rascals  I " 


Money  Enough  to  Sreak  On. 

One  of  the  richest  men  in  the  weal- 
thy town  of  Zanesville,  O.,  is  Mr.  8., 
who  acquired  some  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars  by  his  industry  and 
business  tact.  He  is  a  pleasant  sort  of 
a  man,  very  nervous,  and  somewhat 
eccentric.  Being  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers, he  has  not  brought  around  his 
family  those  ruinous  influences  that  so 
frequently  destroy  rich  families.  When 
his  son  William  came  of  maturity,  he 
asked  the  "  old  man "  for  capital  to 
start  on.  The  father  gave  the  son 
$10,000,  saying  that  it  was  enough 
for  him  to  Ireah  on.  "  Bill "  took  the 
$10,000,  and  instead  of  breaking,  ac- 
quired a  fortune  in  ten  years,  equal  to 
that  of  his  father.  He  is  an  extensive 
private  banker,  engaged  in  milling,  &c. 
Occasionally  the  youth  ventures  into 
deep  water,  and  the  father  undertakes 
to  restrain  him;  but  Bill's  reply  is, 
"  Perhaps  you  want  the  ten  thousand 
dollars ;  if  so,  the  chinks  are  ready  for 
you,  principal  and  interest," 


Mohammedan's  Reason  for  not  Storiner 
Goods. 

Some  years  ago,  a  Philadelphia  mer- 
chant sent  a  cargo  of  goods  to  Constan- 
tinople. After  the  supercargo  saw  the 
bales  and  boxes  safely  landed,  he  in- 
quired where  they  could  be  stored. 

"  Leave  them  here — it  won't  rain  to- 
night," was  the  reply. 

"  But  I  dare  not  leave  them  thus  ex- 
posed; some  of  the  goods  might  be 
stolen,"  said  the  supercargo. 


182 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


The  Mohammedan  merchant  burst 
into  a  loud  laugh,  as  he  replied — 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  there  ain't  a 
Christian  -within  fifty  miles  of  here." 


Value  of  a  Good  Credit. 
A  CELEBRATED  gambler,  of  great  ad- 
dress, but  notorious  bad  character, 
meeting  with  a  mercantile  gentleman 
of  the  highest  reputation  for  honor  and 
veracity — one  of  that  exalted  class, 
whose  "  word  is  as  good  as  their 
bond,"  observed  to  him,  "  Sir,  I  would 
give  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  your 
good  name."  "  Why  so  ? "  demanded 
the  wondering  merchant.  "  Because," 
replied  the  gambler,  "  I  could  make  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  out  of  it." 


Merchants  and  Legrislators. 
That  the  East  India  Company,  at  an 
early  age  of  its  existence,  entertained  a 
due  consideration  of  the  dignity  of 
commerce,  is  evident  from  the  bearing 
of  Sir  Josiah  Child,  the  able  manager 
of  the  afiairs  of  the  company  at  home, 
during  part  of  the  reigns  of  Charles  II. 
and  James  11.  Mr.  VauK,  the  manager 
in  India,  on  being  exhorted  to  "  act 
with  vigor,  and  to  carry  whatever  in- 
structions he  might  receive  from  home 
into  immediate  effect,"  answered—"  that 
he  should  endeavor  to  acquit  himself 
with  integrity  and  justice,  and  would 
make  the  laws  of  his  country  the  rule 
of  his  conduct."  Sir  Josiah  replied, 
telling  Mr.  Vaux  roundly  that  he  ex- 
pected Ilia  orders  were  to  be  his  rules, 
and  not  the  laws  of  England,  which 
were  a  heap  of  nonsense,  compiled  by  a 
few  ignorant  country  gentlemen,  who 
hardly  knew  how  to  make  laws  for  the 
good  government  of  their  own  private 
families,  much  less  for  the  regulating 
of  companies  and  foreign  commerce  ! 


Quaker  Uerchant's  Idea  of  Priva- 
teering'. 

DtTRmo  the  war  between  France  and 

England,  in  1780,  Mr.  Fox,  a  merchant 


of  Falmouth,  Eng.,  had  a  share  in  a 
ship,  which  the  other  owners  deter- 
mined to  fit  out  as  a  letter  of  marque, 
very  much  against  the  wishes  of  Mr.  F., 
who  was  a  consistent  Quaker.  The 
ship's  fortune  resulted  in  the  capture 
of  two  French  merchantmen,  and  the 
share  of  the  prize-money  which  fell  to 
Mr.  F.,  was  about  eight  thousand  dol- 
lars. At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Fox 
sent  his  son  to  Paris,  with  the  eight 
thousand  dollars,  which  he  faithfully 
refunded  to  the  owners  of  the' vessels 
captured.  The  yoimg  merchant,  to 
discover  the  owners,  was  obliged  to 
advertise  for  them  in  the  Paris  papers. 
In  consequence  of  this  advertisement, 
he  received  a  letter  from  a  small  village 
near  Nismes,  in  the  province  of  Lan- 
guedoc,  acquainting  him  that  a  society 
of  Quakers  was  established  in  that  re- 
mote part  of  France,  consisting  of  about 
one  hundred  families ;  that  they  were 
so  much  struck  with  this  rare  instance 
of  generosity  in  one  of  their  sect,  that 
they  were  desirous  to  open  a  correspond- 
ence with  him  in  England ;  which 
immediately  commenced — the  first  cor- 
respondence of  the  kind  which  the 
Society  had  initiated  for  upward  of  a 
century. 


Indian's  Uode  of  Judgringr  a  Trader. 

An  old  trader  among  the  Northern 
Indians,  who  had  some  years  ago  estab- 
lished himself  on  the  Wisseoa,  tells  a 
good  story,  with  a  mercantile  moral 
worth  remembering,  about  his  first 
trials  of  trading  with  his  red  custom- 
ers. The  Indians,  who  evidently  want- 
ed goods,  and  had  both  money  (which 
they  called  ghune  ah)  and  furs,  flocked 
about  his  store,  and  examined  his 
goods,  but  for  some  time  bought  noth- 
ing. Finally,  their  chief,  with  a  large 
body  of  his  followers,  visited  him,  and 
accosting  him  with,  "  How  do,  Thom- 
as ?  Show  me  goods ;  I  take  four  yard 
calico,  three  coonskins  for  yard,  pay 
you  by'm  by — to-morrow,"  received  his 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


133 


goods  and  left.  Next  day  he  returned 
with  his  whole  band,  his  blankets 
stuflFed  with  coonskins.  "American 
man,  I  pay  now ;  with  this  he  began 
counting  out  the  skins  until  he  had 
handed  him  over  twelve.  Then  after 
a  moment's  pause  he  offered  the  trader 
one  more,  remarking,  as  he  did  so, 
"  That's  it."  I  handed  it  back,  said 
the  trader,  telling  him  he  owed  me  but 
twelve,  and  I  would  not  cheat  him. 
We  continued  to  pass  it  back  and 
forth,  each  one  asserting  that  it  be- 
longed to  the  other.  At  last,  he  ap- 
peared to  be  satisfied,  gave  me  a  scru- 
tinizing look,  placed  the  skin  in  the 
folds  of  his  blanket,  stepped  to  the 
door,  and  gave  a  yell,  and  cried  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  "  Come,  come,  and 
trade  with  the  pale  face,  he  no  cheat 
Indian ;  his  heart  big."  He  then 
turned  to  me  and  said :  "  Tou  take 
that  skin ;  I  tell  Indian  no  trade  with 
you — drive  you  off  like  a  dog ;  but 
now  you  Indian's  friend,  and  me  yours." 
Before  sundown  I  was  waist  deep  in 
furs,  and  loaded  down  with  cash. 


Merchants  Retting  to  be  Gentlemen. 

By  a  statute  of  King  Athelstane, 
grandson  of  Alfred,  it  was  provided 
that  any  merchant  who  made  three 
voyages,  on  his  own  account,  beyond 
the  British  Channel,  should  be  entitled 
to  the  privilege  of  a  thane — ^that  is,  be 
regarded  as  a  gentleman. 


Not  ashamed  of  Work— Aster's  Cili- 
erence. 

Some  one  has  said,  that  the  secret  of 
success  in  business  is  to  be  beforehand 
with  your  affairs.  No  one  was  better 
able  to  fulfil  this  condition  than  Astor. 
Always  an  early  riser,  he  generally  left 
business  at  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. He  was  never  at  rest,  but  sel- 
dom in  haste.  His  forces,  his  resour- 
ces, were  always  marshalled  and  in 
order.  An  enthusiastic  critic  of  this 
great  business    genius,  declared    that 


Mr.  Astor  could  command  an  army  of 
half  a  million  men. 

His  unresting  industry  was  not  ham- 
pered by  false  pride.  He  would  work 
with  his  own  hands,  and  he  was  not 
ashamed  of  workmen's  garb.  He  knew 
that  the  master's  example  must  guide, 
that  the  master's  eye  must  be  on  the 
work  if  it  is  to  be  well  done.  If  his 
furs  required  sorting  and  beating,  he 
would  do  it  himself  with  the  best  of 
his  men,  and  was  as  ready  to  work 
when  worth  millions  as  when  strug- 
gling for  success.  No  humble  disciple 
of  poor  Eichard  was  ever  more  plod- 
dingly diligent  in  the  practice  of  fru- 
gality -and  thrift,  which  the  spirit  of 
mere  speculation  is  prone  to  overlook, 
than  he. 


Opulent  New  ITork  Merchants. 

Preserved  Fish  commenced  life  as 
an  apprentice  to  a  blacksmith,  and  his 
next  situation  was  that  of  a  seaman  on 
board  a  whaling  ship.  From  being  a 
hand  before  the  mast,  he  rose  to  be  a 
mate,  and  finally  commander,  and  in 
this  hazardous  pursuit  amassed  the 
foundation  of  his  great  fortune. 

Saul  Alley  was  bound,  when  a  small 
boy,  apprentice  to  a  coachmaker,  and 
during  his  apprenticeship  his  father 
died,  leaving  him  totally  dependent  on 
his  own  exertions,  so  that  the  very 
clothes  he  wore  he  was  obliged  to  earn 
by  toiling  extra  hours,  after  the  regular 
time  of  leaving  off  work  had  passed ; 
the  foundation  of  his  fortune  he  ac- 
quired by  the  exercise  of  frugality  and 
prudence,  while  a  journeyman  me- 
chanic. 

Cornelius  W.  Lawrence  was  a  far- 
mer's boy,  and  worked  many  a  long  day 
in  rain  and  sunshine  on  Long  Island ; 
there  were  few  lads,  within  twenty  miles 
of  him,  that  could  mow  a  wider  swath, 
or  turn  a  better  furrow. 


134 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Great  Deeds  of  European  Merchants. 

The  tact  and  generosity  of  an  Eng- 
lish merchant,  Thomas  Sutton,  are  said 
to  have  materially  aided  in  the  defeat 
of  the  Spanish  Armada,  and  thereby 
saved  British  liberty  from  torture  and 
thumbscrews. 

A  fear  of  the  power  of  merchants 
stopped  Charles  the  Fifth  from  estab- 
lishing the  inquisition  in  Antwerp ; 
while  a  merchant  of  that  city  lent  this 
king  a  million  of  money,  and,  at  an 
entertainment  which  he  gave  them, 
burnt  the  bond  in  a  fire  of  cinnamon — 
at  that  time  a  most  costly  spice. 

A  merchant  of  France  raised  an  army 
at  his  own  expense,  and  lent  miUiona  to 
his  country. 

A  Georgian  of  low  birth  was  able,  by 
the  quiet  arts  of  commerce,  to  obtain  an 
immense  revenue,  and  to  keep  six  thou- 
sand troops  in  his  pay. 

Kussia,  with  all  her  extent  of  land, 
was  as  nothing,  until  that  half  Goth, 
Peter,  surnamed  by  his  countrymen, 
"  the  Great,"  promoted  the  advance- 
ment of  commerce.  He  gave  his  per- 
sonal attention  to  the  building  of  ships, 
training  of  seamen,  opening  of  harbors, 
the  establishment  of  ports,  and  the  fur- 
therance of  commercial  enterprise. 


Peremptory  Refusal  of  Hope  &  Co.  to 
do  Business  with  Girard. 

GiRARD  learned  one  of  the  most 
trenchant  lessons  in  his  eventful  mer- 
cantile life,  from  his  favorite  correspond- 
ents in  Europe,  Messrs.  Hope  &  Co., 
of  Amsterdam. 

Notwithstanding  the  reliance  he 
placed  in  them,  he  had  sent  a  Quaker, 
by  the  name  of  Hutchinson,  to  Am- 
sterdam, with  explicit  instructions  to 
watch  those  gentlemen  closely,  and  see 
that  they  accounted  for  the  real  prices 
received  by  them  for  his  consignments, 
etc.,  etc. 

It  was  a  rule  in  the  house  of  Messrs. 
Hope,  to  compute  one  eighth  per  cent. 
more  than  the  daily  noted  rate  of  ex- 


change, when  sending  the  regular  re- 
ceipts to  bank,  and  this  was  done  to 
cover  a  variety  of  minute  ofllce  expen- 
ses, which  could  not  be  brought  into  a 
stated  account.  Thus,  for  instance, 
Mr.  Hutchinson  was  informed  that  they 
had  sold  a  thousand  bags  of  coffee,  at 
so-and-so  much  per  cent.  Hereupon, 
that  gentleman  came,  next  day,  to  the 
counting  room,  interrupted  Mr.  Labou- 
chbre  in  his  meditations,  and,  running 
his  finger  along  the  printed  price  cur- 
rent he  held  in  his  hand,  pointed  out 
to  him  that  the  rate  must  be  put  at  one 
eighth  per  cent.  less.  The  oft-repeated 
hints  Mr,  Labouchfere  had  given  the 
young  Quaker,  who  invariably  came  in 
with  his  hat  on  his  he9,d,  and,  without 
permission,  marched  directly  up  to  the 
door,  and  pushed  on  into  the  private 
counting  room— that  sanctum  sanctorum 
of  Dutch  merchants — ^had  all  proved  of 
no  avail ;  at  last  they  got  to  let  him 
stand  there,  without  paying  any  atten- 
tion to  what  he  had  to  say. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Hutchin- 
son wrote  to  Girard,  who,  in  response, 
at  once  dictated,  for  his  benefit,  the 
most  offensive  letter  to  Messrs.  Hope, 
which  finally  decided  the  latter  to  let 
him  know,  unmistakably,  that  there 
existed  so  wide  a  difference  between 
their  ways  of  doing  business  and  his, 
and  all  attempts  to  teach  him  better 
had  so  signally  failed,  that,  for  the  sake 
of  their  own  comfort  and  tranquillity, 
they  should  be  compelled  to  decline 
any  further  transactions  with  him. 
Then  there  came  from  Girard  a  sort 
of  apology,  a  promise  to  manage  dif- 
ferently in  future,  etc,  etc.  But  the 
house  in  Amsterdam  remained  firm  in 
the  resolution  they  had  taken,  ofifering, 
however,  to  do  him  the  favor  of  recom- 
mending to  him,  as  his  future  corre- 
spondents, Messrs,  Daniel  Crammelin  & 
Sons,  their  neighbors. 

The  astonishment  of  the  latter  gentle- 
men themselves,  when  the  first  impor- 
tant consignments  began  to  reach  them 
from  Girard,  and  the  surprise  of  the 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


135 


whole  Amsterdam  Bourse,  that  any  one 
should  reject  such  business  as  his,  re- 
quiring no  advances,  may  be  readily 
conceived. 


Hohammedan  mercantile  Morality. 

In  some  of  its  phases,  Mohammedan 
mercantile  morality  exceeds  in  its  scru- 
pulousness that  of  any  other  people, 
whatever  their  religious  character  or 
creed.  A  mercantile  firm  in  Salonica 
had  bills  to  a  large  amount  on  the  prin- 
cipal inhabitants  and  merchants  of  the 
place,  which,  with  their  books  and  pa- 
pers, were  destroyed  by  fire.  On  the 
day  following,  a  prominent  Turk,  who 
was  largely  in  their  debt,  went  in  per- 
son and  told  them  that,  having  heard 
that  their  papers  had  been  destroyed, 
he  had  brought  a  copy  of  his  account 
with  them  and  fresh  bills  for  the 
amount  which  was  their  due.  This 
example  was  followed  by  all  the  Turk- 
ish debtors  to  them.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear to  be  intimated  that  this  course 
was  one  that  they  had  ever  learned 
from  the  Christian  traders  in  their 
country. 


Commenciiig'  in  the  Subcellar. 

One  of  the  wealthiest  merchants  of 
New  York  relates  how  he  commenced 
business  in  that  city.  He  says :  I  en- 
tered a  store,  and  asked  if  a  clerk  was 
not  wanted.  "  No  /  "  in  a  rough  tone, 
was  the  answer,  all  being  too  busy  to 
bother  with  me — when  I  reflected,  that 
if  they  did  not  want  a  clerk,  they  might 
want  a  laborer ;  but  I  was  dressed  too 
fine  for  that.  I  went  to  my  lodgings, 
put  on  a  rough  garb,  and  the  next  day 
went  into  the  same  store  and  demand- 
ed if  they  did  not  want  a  porter,  and 
again,  "No,  sir,"  was  the  response — 
when  I  exclaimed,  in  despair,  almost, 
"  a  laborer  ?  Sir,  I  will  work  at  any 
wages.  Wages  is  not  my  object — I 
must  have  employ,  and  I  want  to  be 
useful  in  business." 


These  last  remarks  attracted  their 
attention ;  and  in  the  end  I  was  hired 
as  a  laborer  in  the  basement  and  sub- 
cellar  at  a  very  low  pay,  scarcely  enough 
to  keep  body  and  soul  together. 

In  the  basement  and  subcellar,  I 
soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
counting  house  and  chief  clerk.  I 
saved  enough  for  my  employers  in 
little  things  usually  wasted,  to  pay 
my  wages  ten  times  over,  and  they 
soon  found  it  out.  I  did  not  let  any- 
body about  commit  petty  larcenies, 
without  remonstrance  and  threats  of 
exposure,  and  real  exposure  if  remon- 
strance would  not  do.  I  did  not  ask 
for  any  ten-hour  law.  If  I  was  wanted 
at  three  in  the  morning,  I  never  growl- 
ed, but  told  everybody  to  go  home, 
"  and  I  will  see  everything  right,"  I 
loaded  oflF  at  daybreak  packages  for 
the  morning  boats,  or  carried  them  my- 
self In  short,  I  soon  became — as  I 
meant  to  be — indispensable  to  my  em- 
ployers, and  I  rose,  and  rose,  until  I 
became  head  of  the  house,  with  money 
enough  for  any  luxury  or  any  position 
a  mercantile  man  may  desire  for  him- 
self and  family  in  a  great  city. 


Romance  of  Trade—"  Blackguard 
Sniiff." 

LiTNDT  Foot,  the  celebrated  snuflF- 
manufacturer  of  Dublin,  originally  kept 
a  small  tobacconist's  shop  at  Limerick, 
Ireland.  .One  night  his  house,  which 
was  uninsured,  was  burnt  to  the  ground. 
As  he  contemplated  the  smoking  ruins 
on  the  following  morning,  in  a  state 
bordering  on  despair,  some  of  the  poor 
neighbors,  groping  among  the  embers 
for  what  they  could  find,  stumbled 
upon  several  canisters  of  unconsumed 
but  half-baked  snufi^,  which  they  tried, 
and  found  so  grateful  to  their  noses, 
that  they  loaded  their  waistcoat  pock- 
ets with  the  spoil. 

Lundy  Foot,  roused  from  his  stupor, 
at  length  imitated  their  example,  and 
took  a  pinch  of  his  own  property,  when 
he  was  instantly  struck  by  the  superior 


136 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


pungency  and  flavor  it  had  acquired 
from  the  great  heat  to  which  it  had 
been  exposed.  Treasuring  up  this 
valuable  hint,  he  took  another  house, 
in  a  place  called  "  Black  Yard,"  and 
preparing  a  large  oven  for  the  purpose, 
set  diligently  about  the  manufacture  of 
that  high-dried  commodity,  which  soon 
became  known  as  "  Black  Yard  Snuflf " 
— a  term  subsequently  corrupted  into 
the  more  familiar  word  "  Blackguard." 
Making  his  customers  pay  liberally 
through  the  nose  for  one  of  the  most 
"  distinguished  "  kinds  of  snuff  in  the 
world,  he  soon  raised  the  price  of  his 
production,  took  a  larger  house  in  the 
city  of  Dublin,  and  was  often  heard  to 
say — "I  made  a  very  handsome  for- 
tune by  being,  as  I  supposed,  utterly 
ruined!"  When  he  was  rich  enough 
to  own  and  use  a  carriage,  he  applied 
to  Lord  Norbury  for  an  appropriate 
motto  for  his  panels.  The  witty  judge 
suggested  the  phrase — Latin  or  Eng- 
lish as  you  please — "  Quid  rides  ?  " 


"Everything-  by  Turns "—Girard's 
Example. 

NoTwiTHSTANDiNa  the  common 
adage,  that  a  business  man  who 
puts  too  many  irons  in  the  fire,  is 
not  likely  to  get  any  one  of  them 
red  hot,  it  seems  to  have  been  other- 
wise in  the  career  of  Stephen  Girard. 
Thus,  if  one  operation  miscarried,  with 
that  versatility  so  peculiar  to  his  coun- 
trymen he  tried  another,  and  another, 
until  he  tried  the  right  one.  This 
change  of  business  gave  rise  to  the 
story  that  he  was  at  one  time  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  hair  powder,  as 
a  partner  of  Boldasky  &  Co.,  who, 
about  the  year  1786,  carried  on  that 
business,  near  Germantown,  Pa.  But 
whether  or  not  Mr.  G.  had  a  concern 
in  that  establishment,  the  books  of 
the  latter  show  large  accounts  with 
Stephen  and  John  Girard  for  that  arti- 
cle, which  they  purchased  for  exporta- 
tion to  St.  Domingo  and  the  Southern 
markets. 


It  is  certain  that  Girard  left  nothing 
untried,  by  which  to  make  his  fortune. 
Even  the  occupation  of  a  merchant  at 
length  began  to  lose  some  of  its  charms 
for  Girard,  and  failed  to  satisfy  that 
boundless  craving  of  his  mind,  which 
is  so  peculiar  a  faculty  of  genius.  Thus 
it  was  that  he  turned  banker ;  and  then, 
this  failing  to  yield  him  full  satisfac- 
tion, he  becomes  a  great  builder,  fill- 
ing up  streets,  and  skirting  whole 
squares  with  his  mansions,  palaces 
and  stores,  careful  to  learn  something 
as  he  went  along,  of  the  arts  of  those 
several  professions,  from  the  construc- 
tion of  a  ship  and  the  building  of  a 
palace,  down  to  the  erection  of  a 
wharf,  the  paving  of  a  street,  or  the 
setting  of  a  curb  stone ;  adding  to  all 
this,  that  of  being  one  of  the  first  farm- 
ers, graziers,  and  butchers,  in  the 
State.  A  gentleman  once  went  to  him 
on  business,  but  was  refused  an  inter- 
view, because  he  was  cutting  up  his 
hogs  for  his  winter  provisions — this 
job,  however,  being  but  small  game 
for  Girard ;  for,  when  he  assisted  to 
butcher  on  his  farm,  fifty  oxen  at  a 
time  sometimes  smoked  beneath  his 
knife ;  or  he  slew  a  whole  hecatomb, 
glorying,  like  a  hero,  in  the  gore 
around  him.  When  to  these  varied 
occupations  are  added  his  knowledge 
of  horticulture,  his  skill  in  planting  and 
gardening,  his  extensive  aviaries,  to- 
gether with  the  fact  that  he  was  an  ex- 
cellent nurse,  and  prided  himself  on  his 
success  as  a  doctor, — perhaps  few  men 
have  ever  lived,  who  could  be  quoted 
as  his  equal,  or  superior,  for  the  variety 
as  well  as  excellence  and  success  of  his 
pursuits,  nor  would  it  be  safe  for  men 
in  general  thus  to  diversify  their  occu- 
pations. Girard  was  a  man  of  such  re- 
markable executive  capacity,  that  it 
seemed  almost  impossible  for  him  to 
touch  anything  without  its  turning  into 
gold. 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


187 


"  Stick  to  Your  Iiast." 

This  phrase,' though  seemingly  re- 
ferring to  the  disciples  of  St.  Crispin, 
is  of  general  application,  and  is  accept- 
ed as  such.  Zadock  Pratt  was  origin- 
ally a  tanner  by  trade, — a  man  of  quaint 
manners  and  speech,  and  of  very  strong 
common  sense.  A  speculator  was  once 
showing  him  a  new  method  of  tanning, 
by  the  use  of  which,  he  argued,  great 
quantities  of  money  might  be  made. 
Pratt  told  him  he  had  no  reason  to  doubt 
his  assertion,  but  he  was  making  money 
enough ;  and  that  he — the  speculator — 
would  better  find  some  one  who  was 
not  doing  so  well.  He  made  it  an  in- 
variable rule  to  resist  all  attempts  to 
allure  him  from  his  legitimate  business, 
and  by  this  undeviating  application 
rolled  up  a  splendid  fortune.  The  well 
known  story  of  Plautus,  the  Roman 
comic  writer,  is  an  apt  though  ancient 
illustration  of  this  principle  of  "  stick- 
ing to  your  business."  He  acquired  a 
very  handsome  fortune  by  his  comedies. 
He  was  afterward  tempted  to  embark 
in  trade,  and  met  with  such  severe 
losses  that  he  was  in  consequence  re- 
duced to  the  necessity  of  working  in  a 
mill,  as  a  day  laborer,  in  order  to  obtain 
a  support. 


Controversy  among:  Wine  Dealers. 

The  question,  whether  the  wines  of 
Champagne  or  Burgundy  were  entitled 
to  the  preference,  was,  during  the  reign 
of  Louis  the  Fourteenth,  a  matter  of 
sharp  controversy  among  the  wine 
dealers  and  their  friends  of  that  day. 
The  celebrated  Charles  CoflSn,  head  of 
the  University  of  Beauvais,  published, 
during  this  controversy,  a  pungent  clas- 
sical ode,  in  which  Champagne  is  ex- 
tolled, and  its  superiority  vindicated, 
with  a  spirit,  vivacity,  and  delicacy 
worthy  of  the  most  important  theme. 
For  this,  the  citizens  of  Rheims  were 
not  ungrateful  to  the  poet,  but  liberally 
rewarded  him  with  an  appropriate  and 


munificent  donation  of  the  wine  he  had 
so  happily  panegyrized.  Gr6neau  wrote 
an  ode  in  praise  of  Burgundy ;  but,  un- 
like the  subject  which  it  treated,  it 
was  flat  and  insipid,  and  failed  to  pro- 
cure any  recompense  to  its  autlior. 
The  different  pieces  in  this  amusing 
controversy  were  collected  and  pub- 
lished in  octavo,  at  Paris,  in  1712. 
Erasmus  attributes  the  restoration  of 
his  health  to  his  having  drunk  liberally 
of  Burgundy,  and  has  eulogized  it  in  the 
most  extravagant  terms.  An  epistle  of 
his,  quoted  by  Le  Grand  d'Aussy,  shows 
that  Falstaff'  and  he  would  have  spent 
an  evening  together  more  agreeably 
than  might  have  been  supposed. 


Little  Too  Candid. 

During  a  political  campaign  in  Vir- 
ginia, a  democratic  speaker  was  ad- 
dressing a  large  audience,  and  descant- 
ing with  great  vehemence  upon  the 
prescriptive  tenets  of  know-nothingism 
with  regard  to  foreigners,  when  his  eye 
fell  upon  a  little  German  Jew,  a  peddler 
of  ready-made  clothing,  who  seemed  to 
be  very  much  impressed  with  the  argu- 
ment of  the  orator,  and  greedily  swal- 
lowing everything  he  uttered.  This 
was  too  good  an  opportunity  not  to  be 
made  the  most  of  Looking  the  peddler 
in  the  eye,  he  exclaimed  : 

"  Furriner,  didn't  you  come  to  this 
country  to  escape  from  tyrannical, 
downtrodden,  and  oppressed  Europe  ? 
Didn't  you  flee  to  these  happy  shores 
to  live  in  a  land  of  freedom,  where  the 
great  right  of  suffrage  is  guaranteed  to 
all  ?    Didn't  you,  furriner  ?  " 

He  paused  for  a  reply ;  when  the  lit- 
tle peddler  squeaked  out — 

"  No,  sur ;  I  comes  to  dis  countrie  to 
sell  sheap  ready-made  clothes." 

The  astonishment  of  the  orator,  the 
shouts  and  roars  of  the  multitude,  can- 
not be  described.  The  speech  was  fin- 
ished, and  the  orator  quit  the  rostrum, 
heartily  cursing  all  "  furriners  "  gener- 
ally, and  clothes  peddlers  in  particular. 


138 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Hingres  upon  which  Trade  Swings. 

A  GRAVE  discussion  was  once  over- 
heard, concerning  shop-door  steps,  in 
which  a  young  beginner  was  solemnly 
recommended  not  to  adopt  more  than 
one  step  into  his  shop.  People,  it  was 
said, — that  is,  commercial  human  na- 
ture,— ^wouldn't  take  the  trouble  to 
mount  up  two  or  three  steps,  when,  by 
going  a  little  farther  on,  a  more  easily 
accessible  establishment  might  invite 
them  in. 

The  same  idea  is  involved  in  the 
widely-opened,  easily-revolving  door 
of  our  modern  shops.  Be  the  winter's 
frost  ever  so  sharp,  or  the  cold  wind 
ever  so  keen,  it  is  a  standing  rule  with 
certain  dealers,  that  the  shop-entrance 
be  never  hindered  by  a  closed  door,  or 
only  upon  the  condition  that  a  porter 
stand  in  continued  readiness  to  bow  in 
or  bow  out  the  purchasers. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that,  upon  a 
hinge  as  slight  even  as  this,  many  a 
man's  fortune  or  ill-fortune  has  swung. 


Xlzpectations  agrainst  Besults. 

A  GOOD  anecdote  is  told  by  an  "  old 
hand,"  illustrating  the  probability  of 
business  sales : 

A  young  friend  of  ours  called  on  us 
the  other  day  in  high  glee ;  he  was 
about  concluding  arrangements  with 
two  others  to  embark  in  the  jobbing 
trade,  and  was  quite  sanguine  in  his 
expectation  of  brilliant  results.  As  we 
did  not  express  full  faith  in  his  antici- 
pations, he  rather  chided  us  for  our 
doubts,  whereupon  we  questioned  him 
a  little  as  to  his  prospects.  At  our 
suggestion,  he  took  pen  and  paper,  and 
put  down  first  of  all  his  proposed  ex- 
penses. We  could  see  that  he  had  not 
done  this  before,  as  he  seemed  quite 
startled  to  find  that,  even  at  the  mod- 
erate estimates  he  had  made,  the  total 
expenses  for  rent,  clerk  hire,  and  living 
of  the  several  partners,  amounted  to  the 
snug  sum  of  $8,200. 


*'  Now  for  the  amount  of  business ! " 
said  we. 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,"  he  replied,  *'  we 
Iwpe  to  sell  $300,000  worth  of  goods 
per  annimi." 

"  But  what  amount  of  trade  do  aU 
of  you  at  present  influence  ?  "  we  asked. 
"  Make  now  a  careful  estimate  of  the 
business  you  can  rely  upon  with  some 
degree  of  certainty."  He  did  so,  and, 
to  his  surprise,  it  did  not  quite  reach 
$125,000. 

"  Now,  what  profit  can  you  average 
upon  this  ?  "  After  some  debate,  this 
was  set  down  at  seven  and  one-half  per 
cent.     This  gave  the  sum  of  $9,375. 

"  Now,  what  shall  we  call  the  losses  ?  " 

The  latter  was  settled  at  two  and  one 
half  per  cent,  on  sales,  amounting  to 
$3,125,  leaving  the  net  income  at  $6,250, 
or  $1,950  less  than  enough  to  pay  his 
estimated  expenses.  He  left  us,  pro- 
posing to  show  the  estimate  to  his  col- 
leagues. He  did  so,  and  after  figuring 
awhile  without  arriving  at  any  more 
satisfactory  result,  they  finally  aban- 
doned the  undertaking.  There  is  no 
doubt  that,  if  all,  when  about  to  em- 
bark in  trade,  would  thus  boldly  look 
at  the  figures,  instead  of  closing  their 
eyes  and  hoping  for  the  best,  there 
would  be  fewer  failures  among  busi- 
ness men,  and  there  would  be  less  com- 
plaint that  "  trade  is  overdone." 


Getting:  the  Hang:  of  Mercantile  Trans- 
actions. 

An  amusing  account  of  the  manner 
in  which  Vincent  Nolte  got  "  posted  " 
in  certain  mercantile  transactions,  while 
holding  a  certain  relation  to  the  great 
banker  Labouchfere,  is  thus  given  by 
himself:  This  canvassing  for  consign- 
ments from  the  United  States,  and  the 
kind  of  uneasiness  which  Mr.  Labou- 
chfere  betrayed,  whenever  his  neighbors, 
Messrs.  Hottinguers  &  Co.,  a  branch  of 
the  Paris  banking  house,  received  im- 
portant consignments  from  the  United 
States — frequently  whole  fleets  at  a 
time — ^were  to  me  inexplicable;  so  I 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


139 


asked  my  chief,  what  the  real  cause  of 
this  anxiety  could  be.  His  reply  in- 
yariably  was,  "  Large  advances,  proba- 
bly ! "  My  next  question  was  :  "  And 
who  makes  these  advances?  how  are 
they  made  ?  "  His  answer :  "  I  am  ig- 
norant of  that  1 "  or,  "  I  do  not  know." 
At  length,  however,  I  learned  from  one 
of  the  Hottinguer  clerks,  with  whom  I 
had  struck  up  a  friendship,  that  the 
house  of  Messrs.  Baring  accepted  bills 
drawn  as  an  advance,  in  the  United 
States,  took  out  the  insurance,  and  after 
sale  took  charge  of  the  remittances  for 
the  merchandise.  From  this  informa- 
tion, I  for  the  first  time  got  a  key  to 
this  whole  system,  so  universally  under- 
stood at  the  present  day. 


Sabbath  Experiences  of  a  Shipmaster. 

I  WAS  in  command  of  a  vessel,  says 
Capt.  G.,  of  W — ,  Mass.,  engaged  in  the 

hide  trade,  between  N and  a  port 

in  Brazil. 

The  custom  of  the  Brazilian  port, 
was  to  load  vessels  on  the  Sabbath. 
This  labor  was  performed  by  gangs  of 
negroes,  under  the  direction  of  steve- 
dores. These  stevedores  were  few  in 
number,  and,  in  times  of  great  hurry 
of  business,  in  order  to  an  equitable 
division  of  their  services,  the  vessels 
were  accustomed  to  take  their  turns 
in  the  order  in  which  they  were  report- 
ed as  ready  to  receive  cargo.  If,  when 
the  time  came  round  for  a  particular 
vessel  to  load,  she  was  not  ready,  her 
name  was  transferred  to  the  bottom  of 
the  list.  It  was  my  lot  to  experience 
some  of  the  effects  of  this  custom. 

My  turn  came  to  load.  The  work 
commenced  and  continued  till  Satur- 
day night,  when  I  ordered  the  hatches 
closed,  and  forbid  any  work  being  done 
on  board  till  Monday  morning.  The 
stevedore  and  his  gang,  muttering 
curses,  left  the  vessel,  threatening  to 
do  no  more  work  on  board. 

Monday  came.  I  made  application 
to  the  commission  merchant,  and  was 


informed  that  I  had  lost  my  turn  in 
loading,  and  must  wait  until  it  came 
round  again,  and  that  the  stevedore 
and  his  gang  had  gone  on  board  an- 
other vessel. 

To  aggravate  my  disappointment,  I 
found  that  a  hostile  feeling  had  sprung 
up  against  me,  and  was  participated  in 
by  all  around.  The  merchant  was  stu- 
diously polite  and  respectful  as  before, 
but  no  longer  familiar.  Masters  of  ves- 
sels avoided  my  society.  Evil  disposed 
persons  busied  themselves  in  secretly 
doing  me  injuries,  such  as  cutting  my 
rigging  in  the  night  time,  and  the  like. 
And  thus  things  went  on,  until  our 
turn  came  round  again,  when,  there 
being  no  other  vessel  ready  to  load,  we 
were  left  to  do  our  own  work  in  our 
own  way.  The  loss  of  time,  occasioned 
by  the  refusal  to  load  on  the  Sabbath, 
amounted  to  several  weeks.  Whether 
it  was  actually  a  loss,  or  not,  the  result 
will  show. 

It  was  now  Saturday  night  again,  the 
loading  of  the  ship  was  completed,  and 
we  were  ready  for  sea.  With  the  Sab- 
bath came  a  fresh  and  fair  wind ;  but 
instead  of  sailing,  the  Bethel  flag  was 
hoisted,  as  an  invitation  for  all  the 
shipmates  to  come  on  board  and  ob- 
serve the  day  in  the  good  old  way. 

Monday  morning,  early,  we  were  un- 
der sail  for  the  lower  harbor,  several 
miles  distant.  On  our  way,  we  passed 
two  brigs  aground,  with  lighters  along- 
side discharging  their  hides,  in  order 
to  lighten  them  and  get  them  off. 
They  left  the  harbor  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  here  they  were.  On  reaching  the 
lower  harbor  we  found,  to  our  surprise, 
lying  at  anchor,  upward  of  forty  sail 
of  shipping  waiting  for  a  wind.  Among 
them  were  all  the  vessels  that  had  clear- 
ed for  the  last  month  or  more,  includ- 
ing every  vessel  that  had  obtained  an 
advantage  over  us  in  respect  to  loading. 

We  had  now  to  obtain  a  pilot  and 
get  to  sea,  when  the  wind  came  fair 
and  before  it  had  spent  itself.  These 
were  by  no  means  matters  easy  to  be 


140 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


accomplished.  Pilots  were  few,  and 
vessels  many,  and  here,  too,  tlie  prin- 
ciple of  rotation  was  rigidly  enforced. 
The  winds,  meanwhile,  when  fair,  were 
shortlived  and  feeble,  and  the  bar  at 
the  entrance  of  the  harbor  was  too  dan- 
gerous to  pass  without  a  pUot.  A  pilot 
who  had  been  on  a  long  visit  to  the  in- 
terior, returned  to  the  seaboard  and  re- 
sumed his  duties  on  the  very  day  when 
we  reached  the  outer  harbor,  and  pre- 
senting himself  on  board,  offered  to 
pilot  us  to  sea. 

Tuesday  morning  found  us,  with  a 
fair  wind,  a  pilot  on  board,  and  under 
way  at  daylight.  We  were  the  second 
vessel  over  the  bar,  and  among  the  first 
to  arrive  in  the  United  States.  The 
getting  out  of  cargo,  its  exposure  and 
sale,  were  matters  of  no  little  interest. 
Our  own  cargo,  owing  to  the  delay  in 
getting  it  on  board,  received  unusual 
attention  at  our  hands  and  was  in  per- 
fect shipping  order  when  stowed  away, 
and  came  out  in  the  same  good  condi- 
tion. The  cargoes  of  the  other  vessels 
came  out  very  dififerently,  with  a  loss  in 
some  cases  of  twenty,  thirty,  and  even 
fifty  per  cent.  This  loss  was  occasion- 
ed in  part  by  hunying  the  hides  on 
board  in  the  first  instance  without  their 
being  thoroughly  dried,  in  order  to 
greater  despatch,  and  in  part  to  the 
unusual  detention  of  the  vessels  at  the 
port  of  loading.  From  these  two 
causes  combined,  and  the  activity  of 
the  vermin  that  took  possession  of  the 
hides,  and  riddled  them  through  and 
through,  several  of  those  voyages  turn- 
ed out  disastrous  failures. 


Celebrated  Question  of  Conscience  in 
Commerce  put  by  Cicero. 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  points  as 
affecting  the  obligations  of  one  person 
or  party  toward  another,  in  trade,  is 
that  put  by  Cicero,  as  follows :  A  com 
merchant  of  Alexandria,  he  says,  ar- 
rived at  Rhodes  in  a  time  of  great 
scarcity,  with  a  cargo  of  grain,  and 
with  knowledge  that  a  number  of  other 


vessels  laden  with  com,  had  already 
sailed  from  Alexandria  for  Rhodes, 
and  which  he  had  passed  on  the  pas- 
sage— was  he  bound  in  conscience  to 
inform  the  buyers  of  that  fact  ?  Cicero 
decides  that  he  was.  Other  writers  on 
the  morals  of  trade  decide  in  the  nega- 
tive. 


Arab  Honesty  in  Business  Trans- 
actions. 

When  Mr.  Layard,  the  traveller,  was 
at  some  brackish  springs  called  Belaisse, 
he  was  awakened  by  the  alarm  that  two 
of  his  horses  were  stolen.  Sabuman, 
tmder  whose  escort  he  was  travelling, 
felt  his  honor  so  much  concerned,  that 
he  wandered  till  daybreak  in  search  of 
the  thieves.  Finally,  having  tracked 
them,  and  pronounced  with  unerring 
sagacity  of  what  tribe  they  were,  he 
made  an  oath  that  the  missing  prop- 
erty should  be  returned.  After  six 
weeks'  search  and  extensive  joumey- 
ings,  he  fulfilled  his  vow  and  brought 
back  the  animals,  without  asking — ap- 
parently without  permitting,  any  re- 
ward. 

Suthun,  another  companion  of  Mr. 
Layard,  was  often  sent  across  the  des- 
ert, with  perhaps  three  thousand  dol- 
lars in  money,  and  always  with  perfect 
confidence — his  only  reward  being  an 
occasional  silk  dress,  or  a  few  camel- 
loads  of  corn  for  his  family. 

In  commercial  or  business  transac- 
tions the  same  holds  trae.  Of  late 
years,  the  wool  of  the  Bedouin  sheep 
has. been  in  demand  in  the  European 
market,  and  a  large  trade  is  even  now 
going  on  in  the  region  of  the  explora- 
tions. Money  is  generally  advanced  by 
the  English  representative,  mostly  be- 
fore sheep-shearing,  without  any  writ- 
ten or  other  guaranty,  to  tribes  of 
whom  nothing  is  heard  after  the  pay- 
ment imtil  the  receipt  of  the  produce, 
amounting  sometimes  to  thousands  of 
dollars  in  value.  And  on  the  part  of 
the  Arabs  such  scrupulous  honesty  is 
observed,  that  one  Bedouin  made,  the 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


141 


whole  journey  from  Bagdad  to  Mosul, 
solely  to  pay  the  balance  of  an  old 
wool  account  not  amounting  to  so 
much  as  one  dollar. 


Business  versxis  Disease. 

A  TRADESMAN  who  had  acquired 
a  large  fortune  in  London,  retired 
from  business,  and  went  to  reside  in 
Worcester.  His  mind,  without  its 
usual  occupation,  and  having  nothing 
else  to  supply  its  place,  preyed  upon 
itself,  so  that  existence  became  a  tor- 
ment to  him.  At  last  he  was  seized 
with  .the  stone;  and  a  friend,  who 
found  him  in  one  of  its  severest  at- 
tacks, having  expressed  his  condo- 
lence— "  No,  no,  sir,"  said  he,  "  do  not 
pity  me ;  for  I  assure  you  what  I  now 
suffer  is  ease  compared  with  the  tor- 
ment of  mind  from  which  it  relieves 
me." 


Ketiring:  from  Business— En^agring:  to 
Blow  the  Bellows. 

The  misery  of  having  "  nothing  to 
do"  is  oftentimes  greater  than  that 
which  comes  from  having  "  nothing  to 
wear  " — ^poetry  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. A  London  tradesman,  who 
had  risen  to  wealth  from  the  humble 
ranks  of  life,  resolved  to  retire  to  the 
country  to  enjoy,  undisturbed,  the  re- 
maining years  of  his  life.  For  this  pur- 
pose, he  purchased  an  estate  and  man- 
sion in  a  sequestered  comer  in  the 
country,  and  took  possession  of  it. 
While  the  alterations  and  improve- 
ments which  he  directed  to  be  made 
were  going  on,  the  noise  of  hammers, 
saws,  chisels,  etc.,  around  him,  kept 
him  in  good  spirits.  But  when  his  im- 
provements were  finished,  and  his  work- 
men discharged,  the  stillness  everywhere 
disconcerted  him,  and  he  felt  quite  mis- 
erable. He  was  obliged  to  have  re- 
course to  a  smith  upon  his  estate,  for 
relief  to  his  mind,  and  he  actually  en- 
gaged to  blow  the  bellows  for  a  certain 
number  of  hours  in  the  day.    In  a  short 


time,  however,  even  this  ceased  to  afford 
him  the  relief  he  desired  ;  he  returned 
to  London,  and  acted  as  a  gratuitous 
assistant  to  his  own  clerk,  to  whom  he 
had  given  up  his  business. 


Too  Close  Application  to  BuBiness. 

Mr.  Rippon,  late  chief  cashier  of  the 
Bank  of  England,  furnishes  an  extraor- 
dinary instance  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  mind  becomes  warped  by  continual 
and  close  application  to  business.  He 
always  declared  he  felt  himself  nowhere 
so  happy  as  in  his  business,  and,  though 
for  upward  of  fifty  years  in  the  bank, 
he  never  solicited  but  one  holiday,  and 
that  was  on  the  recommendation  of  his 
medical  adviser,  on  account  of  ill  health. 
The  permission  for  leave  was  instantly 
granted,  and  he  left  London  with  the 
intention  of  being  absent  a  fortnight ; 
but  the  ennui  of  an  idle  life  and  the 
want  of  his  usual  occupation  so  preyed 
upon  his  spirits,  that  he  actually  re- 
turned to  his  post  at  the  expiration  of 
three  days,  stating  as  a  reason,  that 
green  fields  and  country  scenery  had 
no  charms  for  him.  Mr.  R.  was  always 
remarkable  for  his  sound  judgment, 
preciseness,  and  extreme  punctuality; 
and  his  long  services  and  habits  of 
economy  enabled  him  to  leave  behind 
him  a  very  large  fortune. 


Lending:  a  Helping:  Hand :  Abbott 
Xiawrence. 

The  genial  nature  and  courteous 
manners  of  Abbott  Lawrence  were  car- 
ried with  him  in  the  marts  of  trade. 
His  unselfishness  exhibited  itself  in  his 
readiness  to  share  with  his  contempo- 
raries in  trade  the  benefits  of  honorable 
enterprise.  An  anecdote  in  point  will 
illustrate  this,  though  only  one  of 
scores  of  the  same  kind  that  might  be 
told  of  that  noble  and  elegant  mer- 
chant. A  trader  called  at  his  counting 
room  one  day,  and  remarked  to  him 
that  flannels  were  selling  low,  very 
low.     "  Buy,  then,"  said  Mr.  Lawrence. 


142 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


"  I  am  afraid  to ;  besides,  I  have  not 
the  money,"  said  the  other.  "  Oo  buy 
them  !  I  will  back  you  and  share  with 
you  in  the  speculation  " — was  the  ready 
and  accommodating  reply. 


Agreement  for  a  lioan. 

A  MAN  in  the  town  of  D.,  years  ago, 
went  to  a  merchant  in  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.,  who  was  also  president  of  a 
bank,  and  stated  that  he  lived  on  a 
farm,  the  home  of  his  father,  which  had 
descended  to  him  by  right  of  inherit- 
ance ;  that  this,  his  only  property,  was 
mortgaged  for  one  thousand  dollars  to 
a  merciless  creditor,  and  that  the  time 
of  redemption  would  be  out  in  a  week. 
He  closed  by  asking  for  a  loan  to  the 
amount  of  his  debt,  for  which  he  offered 
to  re-mortgage  his  farm. 

Merchant :  I  have  no  money  to  spare ; 
and  if  I  could  relieve  you  now,  a  similar 
difficulty  would  probably  arise  ia  a  year 
or  two. 

Applicant :  No ;  I  would  make  every 
exertion — I  think  I  could  clear  it. 

Merchant :  Well,  if  you  will  obey  my 
directions,  I  can  put  you  in  a  way  to 
get  the  money ;  but  it  will  require  the 
greatest  prudence  and  resolution.  If 
you  can  get  a  good  endorser  on  a  note, 
you  shall  have  money  from  the  bank, 
and  you  can  mortgage  your  farm  to  the 
endorser,  for  his  security.  You  must 
pay  in  one  hundred  dollars  every  sixty 
days.     Can  you  do  it  ? 

Applicant :    I  can  get  Mr. for 

endorser,  and  I  can  raise  the  one  hun- 
dred dollars  for  every  payment  but  the 
first. 

Merchant :  Then  borrow  one  hundred 
dollars  more  than  you  want,  and  let  it 
lie  in  the  bank ;  you  will  lose  only  one 
dollar  interest.  But  mind,  in  order  to 
get  along,  you  must  spend  nothing,  buy 
nothing;  make  a  box  to  hold  all  the 
money  you  get,  as  a  sacred  deposit. 

The  applicant  departed.  The  note 
was  discounted,  and  the  payment  punc- 
tually made.    In  something  more  than 


two  years,  he  came  again  into  the  store 
of  the  merchant,  and  exclaimed,  "  I  am 
a  free  man — I  don't  owe  any  man  ten 
dollars— but  look  at  me  !  "  He  was  in- 
deed embrowned  with  labor;  and  his 
clothes,  from  head  to  foot,  were  a  tissue 
of  darns  and  patches.  "  My  wife  looks 
worse  than  I  do."  "  So  you  have  clear- 
ed your  farm,"  said  the  merchant. 
"  Yes,''  answered  the  other,  "  and  now 
Iknow  how  to  get  another  one.'''' 


Late  at  a  Dinner  Party— George 
Hudson. 

On  a  certain  occasion,  George  Hud- 
son was  engaged  to  preside  at  a  dinner 
of  fellow  railway  magnates ;  the  guests 
were  assembled,  but  Mr.  Hudson  was 
wanting — and,  as  he  was  always  the 
most  important  person  wherever  he 
went,  great  was  the  concern  felt  lest  he 
should  not  come  at  all.  The  explana- 
tion was  simple,  and  much  to  the  credit 
of  his  business  qualities.  It  appears 
that  as  the  railway  chief  drove  to  his 
appointment,  his  route  lay  by  a  new 
line,  at  the  various  posts  of  which  the 
employes  were  ordered  to  be  present. 
Unhappily,  one  of  these  was  away; 
and,  incensed  at  this  neglect,  Mr.  Hud- 
son ordered  his  instant  dismissal.  As 
he  proceeded,  it  occurred  to  him  that 
the  punishment  was  harsh,  that  the 
man  was  a  poor  man,  that  he  had  a 
large  family,  and  he  determined  to 
annul  the  sentence  at  some  future 
period.  He  proceeded  along  yet  fur- 
ther ;  and  when  he  thought  of  the  dis- 
tress which  the  man  would  bear  to  his 
house,  he  drove  back  many  miles  to  re- 
voke his  order — and  he  did  revoke  it, 
though  he  kept  his  courtiers  waiting 
at  the  magnificent  feast  given  in  honor 
of  himself. 


Girard  Trying  to  Raise  Five  Dollars. 

At  the  age  of  about  thirty  years, 
Girard's  occupation  is  supposed  to  have 
alternated  between  that  of  captain  and 
merchant,  occasionally  making  a  voy- 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


143 


age  to  New  Orleans  or  St.  Domingo, 
and  then  remaining  at  home  to  dispose 
of  his  cargo  and  adjust  his  accounts  for 
a  second  voyage.  It  was  while  prose- 
cuting one  of  these  adventures,  that  he 
was  met  at  the  capes  of  Delaware,  by 
Capt.  James  King,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
who  has  given  the  following  curious 
and  remarkable  account  of  Girard's 
condition  at  that  time : 

On  the  first  day  of  May,  1776  (says 
Capt.  King),  I  was  chased  by  a  British 
man-of-war.  I  ran  my  vessel  ashore, 
all  sails  standing,  about  eight  miles 
southwest  of  Cape  Henlopen.  Whilst 
waiting  at  Lewistown  for  an  opportu- 
nity to  come  up,  the  men-of-war  were 
coming  in  and  out  every  day,  so  as  to 
prevent  us  from  sailing.  One  morning 
I  saw  a  sloop  at  anchor,  within  the 
cape,  with  a  white  flag  flying.  I  ap- 
plied to  Major  Fisher,  who  was  then 
commandant,  to  send  a  pilot  aboard  of 
her.  "  No,  no,  King,"  said  he,  "  that 
is  only  a  British  decoy  to  get  a  pilot ; 
I  shall  not  trust  them."  I  then  went 
over  the  cape,  opposite  to  where  the 
sloop  lay  at  anchor.  I  hailed  her, 
waved  my  hat,  and  did  everything 
that  I  could,  in  order  to  attract  their 
attention  ;  they  answered  me  in  the 
same  manner,  but  the  surf  made  such 
a  noise  as  to  prevent  us  from  under- 
standing each  other,  from  which  I  con- 
cluded to  turn  back,  but,  as  I  was  re- 
turning, discovered  a  boat  ro\s4ng  to- 
ward me  with  a  flag  on  a  staff.  I  wait- 
ed till  they  came  up,  when  they  told 
me  that  they  had  orders  from  Major 
Fisher,  that  if  I  would  risk  myself  with 
them,  to  go  alongside  of  the  sloop,  they 
would  convey  me ;  and  if  not,  to  re- 
turn. I  immediately  stepped  into  their 
boat,  and  we  proceeded  to  the  sloop. 
On  inquiring  where  she  was  from,  they 
informed  me  (in  French)  that  they  were 
from  New  Orleans  and  bound  to  St. 
Pierres,  but  that  they  had  lost  them- 
selves. I  explained  to  the  captain, 
whose  name  was  Girard,  the  dangerous 
situation  they  were  in,  and  that  if  he 


attempted  to  go  out  he  certainly  would 
be  captured,  as  the  men-of-war  were  in 
and  out  every  day. 

"My  God,  what  shall  I  do?"  said 
Girard. 

"  You  have  no  chance  but  to  push 
right  up  to  Philadelphia,"  I  replied. 

"  How  shall  I  do  to  get  there  ?  I 
have  no  pilot  and  don't  know  the 
way." 

"  These  men  are  all  pilots,"  I  an- 
swered. 

"  Oh,  my  good  friend,"  said  he, 
"  can't  you  get  one  of  them  to  take 
charge  of  me  ?" 

I  said  that  I  would  try,  and  accord- 
ingly spoke  to  them.  They  were  will- 
ing, but  insisted  they  must  have  five 
dollars  to  give  to  the  men  for  rowing 
them  off. 

"  Oh,  my  good  friend,"  exclaimed 
Girard,  "  what  shall  I  do  ?  /  liave  not 
got  five  dollars  aboard.'''' 

"  Darn  the  Frenchman,"  was  the  re- 
ply, "  we  don't  believe  him,  he  hasn't 
come  to  sea  without  being  able  to  mus- 
ter five  dollars." 

I  informed  him  what  the  men  had 
said,  and  he  replied — 

'■'■  It  is  really  the  case — it  is  out  of  my 
power  to  muster  it — and  what  shall  I 
do  f  " 

"  Well,"  said  I,  "  I  cannot  stay  with 
you  any  longer,  for  I  am  going  up  to 
Philadelphia  myself,  and  I  see  one  of 
my  shallops  coming  out  of  the  Lewis- 
town  creek  at  this  moment." 

"  Oh,  you  are  going  up  to  Philadel- 
phia yourself,  are  you  ? "  observed  Gi- 
rard ;  "  can  you  not  stand  security  to 
these  men  for  the  five  dollars,  and  I 
will  pay  you  as  soon  as  I  get  up  to  the 
city  ? " 

I  told  him  that  I  would,  and  one  of 
the  pilots  then  took  charge  of  his  sh  .p, 
and  commenced  heaving  the  anchor  im- 
mediately. I  jumped  into  the  boat  and 
parted  with  them.  The  boat  put  me  on 
board  of  the  shallop  that  was  coming 
out  of  Lewistown  with  my  goods,  and 
both  sloop  and  shallop  proceeded  up. 


144 


COMMERCUL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Before  we  had  got  out  of  sight  of  the 
spot  where  the  sloop  had  cast  anchor, 
we  saw  a  British  man-of-war  coming 
in,  and  had  we  not  started  at  the  time, 
in  less  than  an  hour  Stephen  Girard 
would  have  been  a  prisoner  to  the  Brit- 
ish. We  both  arrived  safe  in  Philadel- 
phia. 

The  foregoing  account  certainly  shows 
Girard's  knowledge  of  navigation  to 
have  been  very  limited,  and  his  circum- 
stances far  from  being  prosperous.  For, 
although  even  a  rich  merchant  might 
have  been  without  five  dollars  in  cash, 
imder  certain  circumstances,  yet  the 
general  description  of  the  little  sloop 
and  her  commander  bespeak  a  consider- 
able depreciation  from  his  former  con- 
dition. But  the  story  of  his  actually 
having  lost  himself  may  very  reason- 
ably be  supposed  to  have  been  some 
trick,  or  manoeuvre,  in  Girard,  to  obtain 
a  pilot,  knowing,  as  he  must  have  done, 
the  extreme  peril  of  his  situation,  owing, 
to  the  constant  visits  of  the  British 
sloops  of  war ;  and  this  supposition  is 
strengthened,  when  taking  into  account 
the  close  observation  and  uncommon 
sagacity  of  this  singular  man — who  thus 
readily  invented  a  specious  fiction,  in 
order  to  accomplish  his  purpose. 


Confidence  in  Mercantile  Success. 

BuDGETT,  the  successful  English  mer- 
chant, not  long  before  his  death,  heard 
some  one  saying  he  wished  for  more 
money  :  "  Do  you  ? "  said  he,  "  then  I 
do  not ;  I  have  got  quite  enough.  But 
if  I  did  wish  for  more,  I  should  get  it." 
He  would  often  say  that,  place  him  in 
what  position  you  might,  he  would 
work  his  way  on — ay,  leave  him  with- 
out a  shilling,  still  he  could  rise.  His 
faith  in  the  power  of  perseverance  was 
unbounded.  In  speaking  to  some  of 
the  poorest  young  men  in  his  neighbor- 
hood, and  urging  them  to  self-improve- 
ment, he  declared  that  there  was  no 
reason  why  they  migJit  not — though  the 
reason  was  manifest  why  they  would 


not — every  one  of  them  be  worth  ten 
thousand  pounds.  He  placed  his  confi- 
dence simply  in  "  enduring  powers  and 
extraordinary  application." 


Astor's  Early  Prediction. 

While  yet  almost  a  stranger  in  New 
York,  and  in  very  narrow  circumstan- 
ces, Mr.  Astor  was  one  day  passing  by 
a  row  of  houses  which  had  just  been 
erected  in  Broadway,  and  which,  from 
the  superior  style  of  their  architecture 
were  the  talk  and  the  boast  of  the  city. 
"  I'll  build,  one  day  or  other,  a  greater 
house  than  any  of  these,  in  this  very 
street,"  said  he  to  himself; — a  predic- 
tion which  all  will  acknowledge  has 
been  most  amply  fulfilled  in  the  stately 
and  magnificent  "Astor  House"— one 
of  the  most  impressive  structures  on 
this  continent,  and  exceeded  by  only  a 
few  in  Europe,  of  its  class. 


Erastiis  B.  Bigrelow's  Boyhood  Bargain. 

The  name  of  Erastus  B.  Bigelow  is 
a  notable  one  among  the  many  sons  of 
New  England  who  have  risen  from  the 
smallest  beginnings  to  the  highest  pin- 
nacle of  business  success  and  renown. 

In  Erastus's  youth,  good  John  Tem- 
ple was  his  neighbor — a  substantial 
farmer.  The  latter  had  noticed  the 
lad's  capacity,  and  sometimes  jokingly 
asked  him  to  come  and  live  with  him, 
and  leam  his  occupation.  Erastus  re- 
garded this  proposition  as  a  business 
matter.  With  him,  an  offer  was  an 
offer.  Accordingly,  one  Monday  morn- 
ing, in  early  spring,  this  boy  of  ten 
years  presented  himself  at  Mx,  T.'s 
door,  and  demanded  employment.  It 
was  given  him,  with  no  expectation 
that  he  would  continue  through  the 
day.  He  worked  on,  however,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  week  suggested  to  Mr. 
T.  that  it  would  be  proper  to  come  to 
some  understanding  in  regard  to  wages. 
On  being  asked  his  terms,  he  offered  to 
work  six  months,  on  condition  of  re- 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


146 


ceiving  at  the  close,  a  cosset  lamb 
called  "  Dolly,"  to  which  he  had  taken 
a  strpng  liking.  The  moderate  demand 
was  of  course  acceded  to.  But  scarcely 
had  a  month  elapsed  ere  a  difficulty 
arose.  Dolly  could  not  live  without 
eating,  and  how  was  he  to  provide  for 
her?  His  fellow  laborers  discovered 
the  cause  of  his  anxiety,  and  teasingly 
aggravated  it.  At  length  he  proposed 
and  effected  an  alteration  in  the  con- 
tract. He  relinquished  his  claim  to 
Dolly,  and  Mr.  T.  agreed  to  furnish,  in- 
stead, a  pair  of  cowhide  boots,  and 
sheep's  gray  cloth  sufficient  for  a  suit 
of  clothes.  The  agreement  was  fully 
carried  out  on  both  sides.  At  the  close 
of  the  period,  an  offer  of  four  dollars  a 
month  for  the  ensuing  summer  was 
offered  and  accepted.  The  kind-heart- 
ed man,  at  parting,  gave  the  young  far- 
mer and  future  capitalist,  a  silver  dollar. 


General  Jackson's  Interview  with 
Samuel  Slater. 

When  making  his  Northern  tour. 
President  Jackson  visited  the  town  of 
Pawtucket.  After  he  and  his  suite  had 
been  duly  conducted  through  the  town, 
and  were  expressing  themselves  as  de- 
lighted with  its  appearance — its  numer- 
ous and  well  regulated  establishments 
of  business,  its  ample  and  commodious 
churches,  and  especially  its  intelligent 
and  well-ordered  citizens — they  repair- 
ed to  the  house  of  Mr.  Slater,  then  con- 
fined by  a  rheumatic  disorder,  to  pay 
their  respects  to  a  man  whose  business 
enterprise  had  thus  produced  such  great 
results. 

With  the  affability  and  complaisance 
so  peculiar  to  General  Jackson,  he  ad- 
dressed Mr.  Slater  as  the  father  of 
American  manufactures,  as  the  man 
who  had  erected  the  first  valuable  ma- 
chinery, and  who  spun  yam  to  make 
the  first  cotton  doth  in  America;  and 
who  had,  by  his  superintendence  and 
direction,  as  well  as  by  intense  labor, 
erected  the  first  cotton  mill  in  Rhode 
10 


Island,  which  was  the  first  in  the  land 
of  the  Pilgrims. 

General  Jackson,  who  had  been  in- 
formed of  the  particulars  referred  to, 
entered  into  familiar  conversation  on 
the  subject.  "  I  understand,"  said  the 
President,  "  you  taught  us  how  to  spin, 
so  as  to  rival  Great  Britain  in  her  man- 
ufactures ;  you  set  all  these  thousands 
of  spindles  at  work,  which  I  have  been 
delighted  in  viewing,  and  which  have 
made  so  many  happy  by  a  lucrative  em- 
ployment." "Yes,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Sla- 
ter, "  I  suppose  that  I  gave  out  the 
Psalm,  and  they  have  been  singing  to 
the  tune  ever  since."  "  We  are  glad  to 
hear  also  that  you  have  realized  some- 
thing for  yourself  and  family,"  said  the 
Vice-President.  "  So  am  I  glad  to 
know  it,"  said  Mr.  Slater,  "  for  I  should 
not  like  to  be  a  pauper  in  this  country, 
where  they  are  put  up  at  auction  to  the 
lowest  bidder." 


A.  T.  Stewart's  Success. 

"  Ikeland,"  says  that  genial  writer, 
Walter  Barrett,  "has  been  the  birth- 
place of  many  remarkable  men,  but 
never  has  she  sent  from  her  shore  a 
more  sagacious  one  than  A.  T.  Stewart. 
Our  land  has  fostered  the  Frenchman 
Girard,  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Ger- 
man Astor,  and  they  died  worth  mil- 
lions ;  but  they  never,  even  at  a  great 
age,  reached  the  wealth  of  the  mer- 
chant Stewart.  He  is  yet  in  the  gristle 
of  his  success,  and  not  hardened  into 
the  bone  of  mammoth,  overgrown 
wealth.  Stewart  is  this  day  worth 
fourteen  to  twenty  millions  of  dollars. 
He  owns  more  real  estate  than  Astor, 
and  if  he  lives  ten  years  longer,  Mr. 
Stewart  will  probably  be  worth  from 
twenty  to  thirty  millions  of  dollars. 
In  1848,  he  moved  to  his  present  mar- 
ble palace.  He  had  bought  Washing- 
ton Hall  of  young  John  Coster  for  sixty 
thousand  dollars,  and  for  a  few  thou- 
sand dollars  more  two  additional  build- 
ings and  lots  on  Broadway,  comer  of 


146 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Chambers  street.  Upon  this  magnifi- 
cent site  he  erected  the  present  store. 
The  whole  cost  of  the  ground  and  the 
palace  erected  did  not  reach  three  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  To-day  it 
would  sell  at  auction  for  from  eight 
hundred  thousand  to  one  million  dol- 
lars. He  paid  patroon  Van  Rensselaer 
five  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars for  the  Metropolitan  Hotel  and 
outbuildings.  It  is  now  worth  and 
pays  an  interest  of  ten  per  cent,  on  one 
million  dollars,  and  would  bring  at 
auction  eight  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  owns  more  real  estate  than 
any  other  man  in  New  York." 


What  John  McDonogh.  said  to  a 
liawyer. 

The  following  reminiscence  of  a  fa- 
miliar personal  interview  between  the 
great  mUlionnaire  of  New  Orleans  and 
a  lawyer  of  that  city — as  narrated  by 
the  latter,  is  one  of  the  rarest  things  of 
the  kind  to  be  foimd  iu  mercantile  an- 
nals: 

I  said  to  Mr.  McDonogh,  "  You  are 
a  very  rich  man,  and  I  know  that  you 
intend  to  leave  all  your  property  to  be 
expended  in  charitable  purposes.  I 
have  been  thinking  over  your  singular 
life,  and  I  want  you  to  give  me  some 
advice  in  regard  to  the  success  which 
has  attended  you,  for  I,  too,  would  like 
to  become  very  rich,  having  a  family,  so 
as  to  leave  my  heirs  wealthy."  "  Well," 
said  he,  "  get  up,  sir ; "  and  as  I  rose 
from  my  arm-chair,  he  took  my  seat, 
and,  turning  to  me,  as  if  he  was  the 
proprietor  and  I  his  clerk,  said, — ^point- 
ing to  a  common  chair  in  which  he  had 
been  sitting, — "  sit  down,  sir,  and  I 
will  tell  you  how  I  became  a  rich  man, 
and  how,  hy  following  three  rules,  you 
can  become  as  rich  as  myself: 

"I  first  came  to  Louisiana,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  McDonogh,  "  when  it  was  a 
Spanish  colony,  as  the  agent  for  a 
house  in  Baltimore  and  a  house  in  Bos- 
ton, to  dispose  of  certain  cargoes  of 
goods.     After  I  had  settled  up  their 


accounts  and  finished  their  agency,  I  set 
up  to  do  business  for  myself.  I  had  be- 
come acquainted  vnth  the  Spanish  gov- 
ernor, who  had  taken  a  fancy  to  me, 
although  I  had  never  so  much  as  flat- 
tered him,  and  through  his  influence  I 
obtained  a  contract  for  the  army,  by 
which  I  made  ten  thousand  dollars. 
After  this,  I  gave  a  splendid  dinner  to 
the  principal  oflScers  of  the  army  and 
the  governor,  and  by  it  obtained  an- 
other contract,  by  which  I  made  thirty 
thousand  dollars. 

"This  is  what  the  French  and  the 
Creoles  do  not  understand.  I  mean 
the  spending  of  money  judiciously. 
They  are  afraid  of  spending  money. 
A  man  who  wishes  to  make  a  fortune 
must  first  make  a  show  of  liberality, 
and  spend  money  in  order  to  obtain  it. 
By  that  dinner  which  I  gave  to  the 
Spanish  authorities,  I  obtained  their 
good  will  and  esteem,  and  by  this  I 
was  enabled  to  make  a  large  sum  of 
money.  To  succeed  in  life,  then,  you 
must  obtain  the  favor  and  influence  of 
the  opulent,  and  the  authorities  of  the 
country  in  which  you  live.  This  is  the 
first  rule. 

"  The  natural  span  of  a  man's  life," 
observed  Mr.  McDonogh,  "  is  too  short, 
if  he  is  abandoned  to  his  own  resources, 
to  acquire  great  wealth,  and,  therefore, 
in  order  to  realize  a  fortune,  you  must 
exercise  your  influence  and  power  over 
those  who,  in  point  of  wealth,  are  in- 
ferior to  you,  and,  by  availing  yourself 
of  their  talents,  knowledge  and  infor- 
mation, turn  them  to  your  own  advan- 
tage.*" This  is  the  second  rule." 

Here  Mr.  McDonogh  made  a  long 
pause,  as  if  lost  in  thought ;  and  seeing 
him  remain  silent,  I  asked,  "  Is  that  all  ? " 
"  No,"  said  he,  "  there  is  a  third  and  last 
rule,  which  it  is  all  essential  for  you  to 
observe,  in  order  that  success  may  attend 
your  efforts."  "  And  what  is  that  ? "  I 
inquired.  "  Why,  sir,"  said  he,  "  it  is 
prayer.  You  must  pray  to  the  Almigh- 
ty with  fervor  and  zeal,  and  you  will 
be  sustained  in  all  your  doings,  for  I 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


147 


never  prayed  sincerely  to  God,  in  all 
my  life,  without  having  my  prayers 
answered  satisfactorily."  He  stopped ; 
and  I  said,  "Is  this  all?"  He  an- 
swered, "Yes,  sir;  follow  my  advice, 
and  you  will  become  a  rich  man." 
And  he  arose  and  left. 


Day  and  Uartin,  the  Millionnaires  of 
"  Hierh  Holbom." 

The  lucky  incident  which  made  mil- 
lionnaires of  Day  and  Martin,  of  "  High 
Holbom,"  by  the  sale  of  their  famous 
blacking,  is  as  follows :  Day  was  a  hair- 
dresser in  a  humble  way,  and  was  be- 
nificent  and  charitable  in  the  extreme. 
One  day,  a  soldier  entered  his  shop,  and 
stated  that  he  had  a  long  march  before 
him  to  reach  his  regiment;  that  his 
money  was  gone,  and  nothing  but  sick- 
ness, fatigue,  and  punishment  awaited 
him,  unless  he  could  get  a  lift  on  a 
coach.  The  worthy  barber  presented 
him  with  a  guinea,  at  which  exhibition 
of  kindness  the  grateful  soldier  ex- 
claimed, "  God  bless  you,  sir, — ^how 
can  I  ever  repay  you  this  ?  I  have 
nothing  in  the  world  except " — ^pulling 
a  dirty  piece  of  paper  from  his  pocket 
— "a  receipt  for  blacking;  it  is  the 
best  ever  was  seen ;  many  a  half  guinea 
have  I  had  for  it  from  the  officers,  and 
many  bottles  have  I  sold — may  you  be 
able  to  get  something  for  it,  to  repay 
this  you  have  given  to  a  poor  soldier ; 
your  kindness  I  never  can  repay  or  for- 
get." 

Mr.  Day,  who  was  a  shrewd  man, 
inquired  into  the  truth  of  the  story, 
tried  the  blacking,  and  finding  it  good, 
commenced  the  manufacture  and  sale 
of  it — with  what  results,  the  magnifi- 
cent fortunes  of  the  partners  amply  at- 
test. 


Jacob  Barker's  Success  when  a  Toiith. 

DlTBiNO  Mr.  Barker's  minority  the 
whaling  business  of  Nantucket  became 
very  much  depressed,  insomuch  that 
many  merchants  wished  to  sell  their 


vessels.  This  being  made  known  by 
him  to  Robert  Mott,  a  gentleman  of 
great  merit,  he  proposed  to  his  friends, 
Messrs.  Robinson  and  Hartshorn,  to 
join  him  in  the  purchase  of  a  ship  at 
Nantucket,  and  to  employ  young  Bark- 
er for  the  purpose.  They  ofiered  to  be 
concerned  in  such  a  speculation,  but  re- 
fused to  intrust  a  Tx>y  with  the  mission, 
saying  that  their  Mr.  Robinson  would 
go.  Mr.  Mott  declined  unless  young 
Barker  was  employed.  They  finally 
compromised  by  agreeing  that  both 
should  go.  Application  was  made  to 
Hicks  (young  Barker's  employer)  for 
permission,  to  which  he  consented  on 
condition  that  Tie  be  paid  a  full  com- 
mission of  two  and  one  half  per  cent., 
if  a  purchase  was  made. 

They  both  went.  Barker  not  appear- 
ing to  have  anything  to  do  with  the 
purchase.  Robinson  oflFered  nine  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  ship  Portland ;  ten 
thousand  was  demanded.  After  sev- 
eral days'  unsuccessful  negotiation,  he 
determined  to  ofier  five  hundred  dollars 
more  ;  had  a  meeting  with  the  owners, 
of  whom  an  inquiry  was  made  if  they 
were  disposed  to  divide  the  diflference. 
They  replied  that  "  not  a  dollar  less 
than  ten  thousand  would  be  accepted." 
They  separated,  Robinson  deliberating 
how  far  it  would  be  best  to  yield  to  the 
demand  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  when 
young  Barker  prevailed  on  him  to  re- 
pair to  New  Bedford  for  a  few  days, 
leaving  him  to  make  the  purchase.  He 
did  so,  and  Barker  succeeded — pur- 
chased the  ship  for  nine  thousand  dol- 
lars, and  this,  too,  in  season  to  notify 
Robinson  by  the  first  mail,  when  he 
returned  to  Nantucket  to  attend  to 
her  dispatch.  On  arrival  at  New  York, 
she  was  sold  to  George  M.  Woolsey,  for 
thirteen  thousand  five  hundred  dollars, 
and  young  Barker  employed  to  return 
immediately  to  Nantucket  to  purchase 
a  ship  for  James  Lyon,  of  New  York, 
and  John  James,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
another  for  Jacob  Valentine,  Samuel 
Hicks,  and  Samuel  Robinson.    He  did 


148 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


SO ;  the  ship  Rose  for  the  former  gentle- 
men, and  the  ship  Beaver  for  the  latter, 
for  which  service  Mr,  Hicks  also  re- 
ceived a  full  commission  of  two  and 
one  half  per  cent,  on  the  amount  of 
purchase. 

In  relation  to  the  Rose:  when  that 
vessel  was  ready  for  sea  the  vendors  re- 
fused to  let  her  go  without  an  indorser 
on  the  bills  of  exchange  to  be  given  in 
payment,  amounting  to  ten  thousand 
dollars,  although  it  had  not  been  be- 
fore mentioned ;  this  was  very  incon- 
venient. Barker,  not  having  the  means 
on  the  island  to  give  a  satisfactory  in- 
dorser, had  to  proceed  to  New  Bedford 
therefor.  As  there  were  not  any  steam- 
boats nmning,  and  the  mail-packet  had 
been  detained  some  days  by  a  north- 
west wind,  a  change  seemed  probable, 
and  in  the  afternoon  it  came  round  to 
west  south-west — too  scant,  however, 
for  the  captain  of  the  mail-packet  to  be 
induced  to  leave.  Barker,  impatient 
at  the  delay,  took  passage  on  a  lumber- 
loaded  vessel  that  had  put  in  for  a  har- 
bor, bound  to  the  neighborhood  of 
New  Bedford,  which  he  discovered 
making  sail  to  leave,  late  in  the  after- 
noon. She  proceeded  twenty-five  miles, 
when  the  wind  turned  back  to  north- 
west, which  obliged  the  vessel  to  come 
to  anchor  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing. At  daylight  the  next  morning  a 
signal  was  set  for  a  pilot ;  a  boat  soon 
appeared  from  the  Vineyard,  and  was 
chartered  to  proceed  to  New  Bedford. 

On  reaching  Wood's  Hole,  the  cur- 
rent was  found  running  east  too  swift 
for  the  boat  to  encounter  that  passage 
with  an  unfavorable  wind ;  she  there- 
fore beat  up  the  Vineyard  sound  and 
passed  through  Quicksi's  Hole,  and  ar- 
rived at  New  Bedford  as  the  bells,  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  the  place, 
were  ringing  for  twelve  o'clock.  The 
indorsement  of  William  Rotcb,  jr.,  was 
procured. 


"  Walter  Barrett's"  Cotton  Uission. 
The  following  well-told  story  be- 
longs, of  course,  to  a  period  when  elec- 
tric telegraphs  did  not,  like  a  cobweb, 
cover  our  land:  Goodhue  &  Co.  (the 
great  New  York  firm  then  and  now) 
had  many  rivals  to  their  line  of  packets, 
but  none  were  successful.  Robert  Ker- 
mit  once  started  a  line  of  "  Saint " 
ships.  He  owned  the  ship  St.  George, 
and  he  persuaded  Stephen  Whitney 
and  old  Nat  Prime  to  become  owners 
in  a  new  ship  called  the  St.  Andrew. 
The  line  never  succeeded,  although  the 
latter  once  made  a  very  short  passage 
in  the  year  1834,  and  brought  the  intel- 
ligence of  an  advance  in  the  price  of 
cotton  in  Liverpool.  She  came  in  late, 
one  Christmas  eve.  Old  Mr.  Prime 
lived  at  that  time  at  the  comer  of 
Broadway  and  Marketfield  street  (now 
Battery  Place).  Mr.  Whitney  lived 
only  a  few  steps'  distance  on  the  cor- 
ner of  State  street  and  Bowling  Green 
Row,  where  he  lived  until  he  died  very 
recently.  These  old  heads  and  two  or 
three  younger  ones  had  the  exclusive 
news,  and  they  intended  to  make  the 
most  of  it.  It  was  certain  not  to  be 
made  public  until  the  day  after  Christ- 
mas. Letters  of  credit  were  prepared 
in  the  front  parlor  of  No.  1  Broadway 
for  one  million  of  dollars.  Walter  Bar- 
rett was  selected  to  leave  next  morning 
for  New  Orleans,  by  way  of  Wheeling, 
hoping  that  he  would  outstrip  the 
great  Southern  mail,  leaving  two  days 
ahead,  carrying  these  credits  in  favor 
of  Thomas  Barrett  and  John  Hagan,  of 
New  Orleans,  both  eminent  merchants 
in  those  days.  The  letters  ordered  cot- 
ton to  be  bought  so  long  as  there  was 
a  bale  in  Jirst  hands  in  New  Orleans. 
Mr.  Barrett,  the  bearer  of  credits  and 
orders,  was  told  to  spare  no  expense  in 
order  to  beat  the  mail.  It  was  now 
eleven  o'clock,  Christmas  eve.  No  one 
had  thought  about  money  for  the  ex- 
pense of  the  messenger  to  New  Orleans. 
Banks  were  all  shut — brokers  too.    Mr. 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


149 


Prime  seized  a  blank  check,  and  went 
up  with  it  to  the  City  Hotel. 

"  Willard,  for  what  amount  can  you 
cash  my  check  to-night  ? " 

"  How  much  do  you  wish,  Mr. 
Prime  ?  » 

"  One  thousand  dollars." 

Mr.  Willard  had  the  money,  and 
gave  it  to  IVIr.  Prime,  It  was  in  the 
pocket  of  Mr.  Walter  Barrett,  the  next 
morning,  when  he  embarked  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  boat  for  Amboy,  com- 
manded then  by  the  since  famous  Capt. 
Alexander  Schultz. 

The  messenger,  by  bribing  stage  dri- 
vers, paying  Mississippi  boat  captains 
|50  or  $75 — not  to  stop  and  receive 
freight,  reached  New  Orleans  in  eleven 
days.  It  was  daylight  when  he  got 
into  the  old  City  Hotel,  in  New  Or- 
leans, kept  then  by  Mr.  Bishop.  Two 
hours  after,  John  Hagan  and  Thomas 
Barrett  had  the  letters  of  credit  and 
orders  to  purchase  cotton.  The  South- 
ern mail  did  not  arrive  for  three  days. 
Before  night,  over  fifty  thousand  bales 
of  cotton  had  been  purchased  at  eleven 
to  twelve  cents,  or  about  sixty  dollars 
per  bale.  That  cotton  was  sold  at  sev- 
enteen and  eighteen  cents  when  cotton 
went  up  a  few  days  after.  Some  was 
sent  to  Liverpool.  The  profit  was  on 
some  lots  over  thirty  dollars  a  bale,  and 
was  divided  up  among  the  New  Orleans 
houses  of  Barrett  &  Co.,  John  Hagan 
&  Co.,  and  the  New  York  operators. 
The  messenger  had  the  profits  of  two 
hundred  bales  awarded  him,  and  his 
expenses  paid.  This  operation  was  a 
lucky  on©  for  some  of  the  owners  of 
the  St.  Andrew,  but  it  did  not  aid  Cap- 
tain Robert  Kermit  particularly,  and 
the  "  Saint "  line  went  down. 

We  venture  to  say  that  that  same 
Walter  Barrett  can  "  do "  a  good  job 
now! 


Privateering:  Exploit  of  a  Salem  mer- 
chant. 

Joseph  Peabody,  the  merchant-sov- 
ereign   of   Salem,  left  that   place  in 


1781-2, in  the  letter-of-marque  Ranger, 
he  being  second  officer.  Proceeding  to 
Richmond,  they  disposed  of  their  cargo 
of  salt,  and  then  went  to  Alexandria, 
where  they  loaded  with  flour  for  Hava- 
na, and  arrived  safe.  The  Ranger  re- 
turned to  Alexandria,  and  after  receiv- 
ing on  board  another  cargo  of  flour,  on 
the  5th  of  July,  1782,  dropped  down 
the  Potomac  to  near  its  mouth,  where 
encountering  head  winds,  she  was 
obliged  to  anchor,  and,  after  making 
the  ordinary  arrangements  for  the 
night,  the  officers  and  crew  retired  to 
their  berths. 

About  eleven  o'clock  the  watch  ran 
aft  for  a  speaking-trumpet,  and  an- 
noimced  to  the  officers  the  unwelcome 
news  that  boats  were  making  for  the 
ship.  The  captain,  Simmons,  directed 
Mr.  Peabody  not  to  let  them  come 
alongside ;  but  they  both  rushed  up 
the  companion-way,  and  as  they  reach- 
ed the  deck,  received  a  discharge  of 
musketry,  by  which  Capt.  Simmons  fell, 
badly  wounded,  and  entirely  disabled 
from  further  action.  !Mr.  Peabody, 
having  no  time  to  dress  himself,  ran 
forward  in  his  night-clothes,  calling  on 
the  crew  to  seize  the  boarding-pikes, 
and  grasping  one  himself,  accompanied 
by  a  man  named  Kent,  armed  in  the  like 
manner,  sprang  to  the  bows,  where  they 
had  a  fierce  encounter  with  several  of 
the  enemy  already  on  the  gunwale. 
The  crew  having  armed  themselves,  a 
desperate  conflict  ensued,  in  the  midst 
of  which  another  boat  came  alongside 
and  began  a  heavy  fire  on  the  other 
quarter. 

The  first  officer  being  employed  at 
the  magazine  in  procuring  anununition 
for  those  who  were  armed  with  mus- 
kets, the  command  of  the  deck  devolved 
on  Mr.  Peabody,  who,  wearing  a  shirt, 
was  a  conspicuous  mark,  even  in  a  dark 
night.  He  now  ordered  cold  shot  to 
be  thrown  into  the  boats,  and  it  was 
done  with  such  efiect  that  one  of  them 
gave  way ;  both  had  been  grappled  to 
the  Ranger  before  receiving  any  damage. 


160 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Perceiving  the  advantage  thus  obtain- 
ed, he  applied  his  entire  force  to  the 
other  boat,  and  cheering  his  men  with 
the  cry  of  "  we  have  sunk  one,  my  boys, 
now  let  us  sink  the  other,"  the  re- 
sponding cheers  of  the  crew  so  alarmed 
the  assailants,  that  they  dropped  astern, 
and  both  were  soon  lost  in  the  darkness 
of  the  night. 

When  the  confusion  was  over,  one  of 
the  crew  only  was  foimd  to  be  dead, 
and  three  wounded.  Mr.  Peabody  was 
not  aware,  during  the  action,  that  he 
had  received  any  wounds,  but  after- 
ward found  his  arms  stiff,  and  a  ball 
lodged  in  his  left  wrist,  that  the  bone 
of  his  right  elbow  was  laid  bare,  and  a 
ball  had  graced  his  left  shoulder.  The 
Kanger  was  armed  with  seven  guns,  and 
had  a  crew  of  twenty,  while  the  barges 
of  the  enemy  contained  sixty  men.  The 
assailants,  a  band  of  tories  headed  by 
two  desperate  characters,  lost  fifteen 
killed,  and  had  thirty-eight  wounded. 


Patriotism  and  Prowess  of  French 
Merchants. 

One  of  the  chief  merchants  of  Mar- 
seilles, M.  de  Corse,  carried  his  patri- 
otic zeal  to  such  an  extent,  that  in  1760 
he  published  a  manifesto,  declaring  war 
in  his  own  private  name  against  the 
king  of  England,  and  put  to  sea  no  less 
than  twenty  frigates,  to  cruise  against 
British  commerce ! 

This  merchant,  however,  had  a  rival 
in  M.  Gredis,  a  famous  Jewish  merchant 
at  Bordeaux.  He  fitted  out,  in  1761, 
the  Proth^e,  of  sixty-four  guns,  which 
captured  the  merchant  ship  Ajax,  an 
Indiaman,  worth  about  a  million  and  a 
half  dollars.  He  had  also  several  frig- 
ates of  thirty-six  guns  cruising  at  the 
same  time,  on  his  own  account. 

In  both  these  cases,  it  may  perhaps 
be  doubted  if,  with  a  strong  patriotic 
feeling,  there  was  not  some  motive  of 
commercial  gain ;  for  it  has  occurred 
in  England,  as  well  as  in  France,  and 
our  own  country,  that  vessels  thus  fitted 
out  by  merchants  have  done  much  in- 


jury to  the  enemy,  and  no  small  service 
to  their  owners. 


Thomas  H.  Perkins's  Deliberate 
Habits. 

Thomas  H.  Perkins's  self-possession 
and  tranquillity  seldom  forsook  liim 
in  any  of  his  multifarious  business 
or  private  cares.  At  one  time,  when 
he  had  decided  to  leave  Boston  in 
order  to  take  a  long  journey  of  sev- 
eral thousand  miles  to  the  South  and 
West,  application  had  been  made  to 
him  to  give  his  guaranty  for  a  consid- 
erable sum,  to  enable  one  whose  wel- 
fare he  wished  to  promote  to  engage  in 
a  commercial  connection  that  seemed 
to  offer  great  advantages. 

As  the  magnitude  of  the  affair  re- 
quired caution,  it  was  expected,  of 
course,  that  when  he  had  considered 
the  subject,  explanations  on  various 
points  would  be  necessary  before  he 
could  decide  to  give  it ;  and  it  was  in- 
tended to  take  some  favorable  oppor- 
tunity, when  he  might  be  entirely  at 
leisure,  to  explain  everything  fully. 
Suddenly,  however,  he  found  it  best  to 
commence  the  journey  a  week  or  two 
sooner  than  had  been  mentioned,  and 
engagements  of  various  kinds,  previous- 
ly made,  so  occupied  him  in  the  short 
interval  left,  that  there  seemed  to  be  no 
time  for  offering  such  explanation  with- 
out danger  of  intruding,  and  the  hope 
of  obtaining  his  aid  at  that  time,  in  an 
affair  that  required  prompt  action,  was 
given  up.  The  applicant  called  at  his 
house  half  an  hour  before  he  was  to  go, 
merely  to  take  leave,  knowing  that  the 
haste  of  departure  in  such  cases  usually 
precludes  attention  to  any  matter  re- 
quiring deliberation.  On  entering  the 
room,  however,  he  found  there  was  no 
appearance  of  haste.  All  preparations 
for  the  journey  had  been  entirely  com- 
pleted in  such  good  season  that  the  last 
half-hour  seemed  to  be  one  entirely  of 
leisure  for  anything  that  might  occur. 

After  a  little  chat,  Col.  Perkins  intro- 
duced the  subject  himself,  and  made 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


161 


pertinent  inquiries;  "which,  being  an- 
swered satisfactorily,  he  gave  the  guar- 
anty and  very  kindly  added  a  further 
facility  by  allowing,  until  his  return, 
the  use  of  a  considerable  sum  of  money 
which  he  was  leaving  in  the  bank. 
The  arrangements  were,  in  consequence, 
completed  the  next  day ;  they  proved 
in  the  result  to  be  eminently  successful, 
all  pledges  were  redeemed,  his  guaran- 
ty was  cancelled  in  due  course,  without 
the  slightest  cost  or  inconvenience  to 
him ;  and  the  person  whom  he  wished 
to  oblige  received  very  large  profits, 
which  happUy  influenced  the  remain- 
der of  his  Ufe,  but  which,  perhaps,  he 
might  never  have  enjoyed,  if  that  last 
half-hour  before  the  journey  had  been 
hurried. 


Bothschild  and  Aster  Compared. 

The  elder  Rothschild  was  perhaps  a 
richer  man  than  Mr.  Astor,  but  in  other 
respects  his  inferior,  Rothschild  was  a 
good  arithmetician  and  a  good  banker. 
He  wrought  out,  skilfully  and  success- 
fully, the  materials  offered  to  his  hand 
by  the  social  condition  of  his  time ; 
but  his  was  not  an  original,  an  inven- 
tive, a  creative  mind.  That  of  Mr.  As- 
tor, on  the  contrary,  was  strongly 
marked  by  such  characteristics.  All 
his  bold  and  grand  operations  were  in 
scenes  before  untried;  carrying  out 
combinations  before  unthought  of; 
opening  up  mines  of  hitherto  undis- 
covered wealth;  and  all  tending  not 
more  to  his  own  advantage  than  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  country,  in  its  mate- 
rial and  commercial  interests.  Surely, 
the  stock  operations  of  Rothschild 
never  partook  of  these  characteristics. 


liabouchere  and  Vincent  Nolte. 
Vincent  Nolte  became  the  Amer- 
ican agent  of  the  renowned  Amsterdam 
house  of  Hope  &  Co.,  under  the  follow- 
ing curious  circumstances,  as  narrated  by 
himself:  One  day,  after  the  close  of  the 
Bourse,  Mr.  L.  placed  his  arm  confiden- 


tially in  mine  and  said,  "  Let  us  take  a 
walk ;  we  will  be  able  to  converse  un- 
disturbed, and  to  better  purpose,  than 
in  the  counting  room.  I  have  very 
often  been  pressed,  by  my  brother,  to 
give  him  permission  to  send  an  agent 
to  the  United  States,  but  would  never 
listen  to  his  request,  until  he  made  men- 
tion of  you  and  your  wishes.  I  think 
that  I  have  a  perfect  knowledge  of  you, 
and  understand  you,  from  your  corre- 
spondence, and  that  you  may  be  useftil 
to  him,  to  yourself,  and  to  us  all." 

The  "  us  all "  sounded  very  pleasant- 
ly in  my  ears,  for  under  the  word  us  I 
was  given  to  understand  a  mission  for 
the  important  house  of  Messrs.  Hope 
itself.  I  instantly  said,  "  How  is  that  ? 
Us  all?" 

"I  will  teU  you,"  he  continued: 
"  To  make  your  first  appearance  as 
agent  for  the  house  of  my  brother  is  a 
very  good  preliminary  introduction  to 
the  United  States,  and  you  can,  accord- 
ing to  the  directions  and  hints  I  will 
give  you,  carefully  look  about  you  a 
couple  of  months,  until  we  shall  have 
some  further  additional  need  of  your 
services.  Even  were  you  not  to  make 
one  single  bargain,  I  should  still  be 
well  enough  satisfied  ;  but  I  have  some- 
thing better  in  store  for  you.  You  will 
be  intrusted  with  a  mission  that  will 
make  you  catch  your  breath  to  hear  of 
it.  You  will  feel  the  ground  heaving 
under  your  feet." 

And  here  he  began  to  sketch  for  me 
the  outline  of  a  reaUy  colossal  imder- 
taking  he  was  then  planning  in  his  own 
mind.  He  then  pointed  out  the  posi- 
tion he  had  in  view,  and  the  heavy  re- 
sponsibility that  would  rest  upon  my 
shoulders.  He  was  right.  I  did  catch 
my  breath  at  the  magnificence  of  his 
project.  Ere  I  had  put  a  hand  to  it,  I 
at  once  declared  to  Mr.  L.  that  I  was 
too  young  and  inexperienced  to  assume 
such  a  responsibility,  and  that  I  should 
only  in  a  moderate  degree  equal  his 
expectations.    His  answer  was : 

"  That  is  my  business,  and  not  yours. 


162 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


I  have  but  one  thing  to  recommend  to 
you :  never  commit  any  action  which 
may  one  day  cause  you  to  blush  before 
me,  or  in  the  presence  of  your  own  con- 
science 1 " 

I  was  now  placed  upon  the  right 
ground.  He  had  correctly  judged  me, 
and  I  had  understood  him  perfectly. 
At  length  we  touched  upon  the  ques- 
tion, how  much  salary  I  was  to  receive 
for  all  this  :  He  replied : 

"Nothing!  Your  expenses  will  be 
liberally  paid  I  That  is  all.  If  you  can- 
not foresee  what  a  position  such  a  mis- 
sion may  secure  for  you  in  the  commer- 
cial world,  and  the  facilities  which  it 
cannot  fail  to  open  for  you  in  the  fu- 
ture, you  had  better  stay  at  home." 

My  reply  was,  that  his  extreme  con- 
fidence honored  me,  and  that  I  would 
unconditionally  agree  to  all  that  he  saw 
fit  to  point  out  to  me. 

"  In  order  to  progress,"  he  added, 
"  you  must  renounce  all  impatience  to 
succeed." 

The  business,  of  which  Mr.  Labou- 
chere  thus  communicated  only  a  rough 
outline,  and  which  Mr.  Nolte  got  to 
understand  and  form  an  opinion  of,  in 
its  whole  extent,  only  several  months 
later,  in  the  autunm  of  1805,  originated 
in  one  of  the  many  conceptions  and 
combinations  of  Ouvrard,  the  once  cele- 
brated French  banker. 


Scene  in  a  Merchant's  Counting:  Room, 
after  the  Peace  in  1815. 

The  promptness  and  energy  of  Amer- 
ican merchants  is  established  as  char- 
acteristic of  them  wherever  American 
commerce  is  known.  Here  is  an  illus- 
tration— the  like  of  which  it  would  be 
no  difiicult  labor  to  find  in  every  city 
and  town  in  the  country. 

At  the  time  of  peace,  in  the  winter 
of  1815,  Mr.  A.,  a  New  York  merchant, 
proceeded  to  his  office.  The  clerks, 
four  in  number,  were  already  at  their 
posts,  and  met  their  employer  with  a 
smile  each.  "  Well,  boys,"  said  he, 
"  this  is  good  news — now  v:e  must  be 


up  and  doing,"  He  seldom  used  the 
first  person,  I,  but  spoke  to  his  clerks, 
and  of  them,  as  being  part  and  parcel 
with  himself,  *'  We  shall  have  our 
hands  full  now,"  he  continued,  "but 
we  can  do  as  much  as  anybody," 

Mr.  A.  was  the  owner  and  part  owner 
of  several  ships,  which  during  the  war 
had  been  hauled  ashore  three  miles  up 
the  river,  and  dismantled,  and  they 
were  now  inclosed  by  a  bay  of  solid  ice, 
for  the  whole  distance,  from  one  to  two 
feet  thick,  while  the  weather  was  so 
cold  that,  when  broken  up,  the  pieces 
would  unite  and  congeal  again  in  an 
hour  or  two ;  but  tliis  proved  no  dis- 
couragement in  the  present  case.  It 
would  be  a  month  before  the  ice  would 
yield  to  the  season,  and  that  would 
give  time  for  merchants  in  other  places, 
where  the  harbors  were  open,  to  be  in 
the  markets  abroad,  before  him.  The 
decision  was  therefore  made  on  the  in- 
stant. 

"  Keuben,"  said  Mr.  A,  to  one  of  the 
clerks,  as  soon  as  the  "  peace  "  greeting 
was  past,  and  he  had  told  them  his  in- 
tentions, "  go  out,  and  collect  as  many 
laborers  as  possible  to  go  up  the  river ; 

Charles,  do  you  go  and  find  Mr. , 

the  rigger,  and  Mr. ,  the  sail  maker, 

and  tell  them  I  want  to  see  them  imme- 
diately ;  John,  go  and  engage  half  a 
dozen  truckmen  for  to-day  and  to- 
morrow; Stephen,  hunt  up  as  many 
caulkers  and  gravers  as  you  can  find, 
and  engage  them  to  work ; "  and  Mr.  A. 
then  sallied  out  himself  to  provide  the 
implements  for  ice  breaking,  and  before 
twelve  o'clock,  more  than  one  hundred 
men  were  three  miles  up  the  river,  clear- 
ing away  the  ships  and  cutting  ice,  which 
they  sawed  out  ia  large  squares,  and 
then  shoved  them  under  the  main  body, 
to  open  the  channel.  The  roofing  over 
the  ships  was  torn  off,  and  the  clatter 
of  caulkers'  mallets  was  like  the  rattling 
of  a  hail  storm — ^loads  of  rigging  were 
passing  up  on  the  ice — ^riggers  had 
buckled  on  their  belt  and  knife — sail 
makers  were  plying  their  needles,  and 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


153 


the  whole  was  such  a  busy  scene  as  had 
not  been  witnessed  there  for  years. 
Before  night  the  ships  were  afloat^  and 
moved  some  distance  in  the  channel, 
and  by  the  time  they  had  reached  the 
wharf,  which  was  eight  or  ten  days, 
their  rigging  and  spars  were  aloft,  their 
upper  works  caulked,  and  everj'thing 
in  a  great  state  of  forwardness  for  sea. 

It  would  not  be  safe  to  doubt  that 
energy  like  this  met  with  its  reward. 


Strong:  Point  in  Uercantile  Success— 
Giraxd's  Silence. 

A  PonsiT  in  the  character  of  Girard, 
the  Napoleon  of  commerce,  gives  a 
strong  insight  into  the  cause  of  his 
business  success.  No  man  ever  heard 
him  boast  of  icliat  he  could  do.  He  re- 
mained quiet  and  silent  until  the  time 
came  for  action,  and  then  he  struck  the 
blow  with  an  unerring  aim  which  in- 
sured him  success.  He  was  studious  to 
learn  all  he  could  from  others,  and  as 
careful  to  impart  nothing  in  return. 


Tudor,  the  Origrinal  Ice  merchant. 

To  Mr.  Frederick  Tudor,  of  Boston,  is 
due  the  very  creditable  honor  of  origi- 
nating the  ice  trade  of  our  country, 
now  so  extensive  and  important.  This 
gentleman,  having  previously  sent 
agents  to  the  West  Indies  to  pro- 
cure information,  determined  to  make 
his  first  experiment  in  that  region. 
Finding  no  one  willing  to  receive  so 
strange  an  article  on  shipboard,  he  was 
compelled  to  purchase  a  vessel,  the 
brig  Favorite,  of  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty  tons,  which  he  loaded  with 
ice  from  a  pond  in  Saugus,  Massachu- 
setts, belonging  to  his  father,  and  sent 
to  St.  Pierre,  Martinique.  This  first 
enterprise  resulted  in  a  loss  of  about 
$4,500,  but  was,  nevertheless,  followed 
up  until  the  embargo  and  war  put  an 
end  to  the  foreign  trade,  up  to  which 
period  it  had  yielded  no  profit  to  its 
projector.  Its  operations  had  been 
confined  to  Martinique  and  Jamaica. 


After  the  close  of  the  war  with  Eng- 
land, in  1815,  Mr.  Tudor  recommenced 
his  operations  by  shipments  to  Havana, 
under  a  contract  with  the  Government 
of  Cuba,  which  enabled  him  to  pursue 
his  undertaking  without  loss,  and  ex- 
tend it  in  a  short  time  to  Charleston, 
S.  C,  Savannah,  Ga.,  and  New  Orleans. 
In  the  mean  time  it  had  been  tried 
again,  by  other  parties,  at  Martinique 
and  St.  Thomas,  and  failed,  and  by 
Mr.  Tudor  at  St.  Jago  de  Cuba,  where 
it  also  failed,  after  a  trial  of  some  three 
years.  In  1833,  the  first  shipment  of 
ice  was  made  to  the  East  Indies  by  Mr, 
Tudor,  in  the  ship  Tuscany,  for  Calcut- 
ta, and  shipments  were  subsequently 
made  to  Madras  and  Bombay.  Up  to 
this  time  the  ice  business  was  of  a  very 
complicated  nature,  and  shipowners 
objected  to  receive  it  on  freight,  fear- 
ing its  effiect  on  the  durability  of  their 
vessels  and  the  safety  of  their  voyages. 
It  is  now,  however,  one  of  the  most  con- 
veniently conducted,  extensive,  and 
profitable  kinds  of  mercantile  business, 
and  many  parties  are  engaged  in  it. 


First  Greek  Adventure  to  America. 

The  first  Greek  ship  that  ever  touch- 
ed at  an  American  port,  arrived  there 
in  1811.  She  was  called  the  Jerusalem, 
and  had  a  cargo  of  wines ;  but  in  en- 
tering the  port  of  Boston,  she  ran 
aground,  and  sustained  so  much  dam- 
age, that  it  took  some  months  to  repair 
her.  The  captain,  having  in  vain  en- 
deavored to  sell  his  cargo,  proceeded 
to  Havana,  where  he  was  not  more  suc- 
cessful. He  then  returned  to  Boston, 
and  having  become  involved  in  law- 
suits, his  ship  was  seized,  his  cargo  sold 
at  great  sacrifice,  and  himself  reduced 
to  such  distress,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
beg  for  subsistence,  until  a  subscription 
was  opened  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
his  return  to  his  own  country,  AH  hia 
crew  died  in  prison. 


154 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Koman  Idea  of  Kercliaiits. 

AMOna  the  Romans,  the  deity  who 
presided  over  commerce  and  banking 
was  Mercury,  who,  by  a  strange  associa- 
tion, was  also  the  god  of  thieves  and 
of  orators.  The  Romans,  who  looked 
upon  merchants  with  contempt,  fancied 
there  was  a  resemblance  between  theft 
and  merchandise,  and  they  easily  found 
a  figurative  connection  between  theft 
and  eloquence;  hence,  thieves,  mer- 
chants, and  orators,  were  placed  under 
the  superintendence  of  the  same  deity. 
On'  the  seventeenth  of  May,  in  each 
year,  the  merchants  held  a  public  festi- 
val, and  walked  in  procession  to  the 
temple  of  Mercury,  for  the  purpose,  as 
the  satirists  said,  of  begging  pardon  of 
that  deity  for  all  the  lying  and  cheat- 
ing they  had  found  it  convenient  to 
practise,  in  the  way  of  business,  during 
the  preceding  year. 


"  Monsieur  Smith,"  Girard's  Man. 

It  is  known  that  Girard  admired  in- 
dustry as  much  as  he  despised  sloth, 
and  there  was  never,  it  is  related,  an 
instance  where  he  did  not  furnish  em- 
ployment or  money  to  an  industrious 
and  worthy  man  in  distress. 

Early  one  morning,  while  Mr.  Girard 
was  walking  around  the  square  where 
the  millionnaire's  well-known  houses 
now  stand,  John  Smith,  who  had 
worked  on  his  buildings  in  the  hum- 
ble capacity  of  a  laborer,  and  whom 
Mr.  G.  had  noted  for  his  unusual  activ- 
ity, applied  to  him  for  assistance,  when 
something  like  the  following  dialogue 
took  place : 

"  Assistance — work — ha  ?  You  want 
to  work  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  it's  a  long  time  since  I've 
had  anything  to  do." 

*'  Very  well,  I  shall  give  you  some. 
You  see  dem  stone  yondare  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Very  well,  you  shall  fetch  and  put 
them  in  this  place.    You  see  ? " 


»  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  when  you  done,  come  to  me  at 
my  bank." 

Smith  diligently  performed  his  task, 
which  he  accomplished  about  one 
o'clock,  when  he  repaired  to  Mr.  Gir- 
ard, and  informed  him  that  it  was  fin- 
ished, at  the  same  time  asking  if  he 
would  not  give  him  some  more  work. 

"  Ah,  ha !  oui.  You  want  more 
work  ?  Very  well ;  you  shall  go  place 
dem  stone  where  you  got  him.  Under- 
standez  ?    You  take  him  back." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

Away  went  Smith  to  his  work,  which 
having  got  through  with  about  sunset, 
he  waited  on  Mr.  Girard  for  his  pay. 

"Ah,  hal  you  all  finish?" 

«  Yes,  sir." 

"  Very  well,  how  much  money  shall 
I  give  you  ? " 

"  One  dollar,  sir." 

"Dat  is  honest.  You  take  no  ad- 
vantage.   Dare  is  your  dollar." 

"  Can  I  do  anything  else  for  you  ? " 

"  Oui.  Come  here  when  you  get  up 
to-morrow.  You  shall  have  some 
work." 

Next  morning,  on  calling,  Smith  was 
not  a  little  astonished  when  told  that 
he  must  "  take  dem  stone  back  again," 
nor  was  his  astonishment  diminished 
when  the  order  was  repeated  for  the 
fourth  and  last  time.  However,  he  was 
one  of  that  happy  kind  of  persons  who 
mind  their  own  business,  and  he  went 
on  with  his  job,  with  all  the  indif- 
ference imaginable.  When  he  called 
on  Mr.  Girard,  in  the  evening,  and  in- 
formed him  that  the  stones  "  were  as 
they  were,"  he  was  saluted  thus  in  the 
most  cordial  manner : 

"  Ah,  Mormeur  Smithy  you  shall  be 
my  man;  you  mind  your  own  business ; 
you  do  what  is  told  you ;  you  ask  no 
questions ;  you  no  interfere.  You  got 
one  vife  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Ah,  dat  is  bad.  Von  wife  is  bad. 
Any  de  little  chicks  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  five  living." 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


155 


"  Five  ?  dat  is  good ;  I  like  five ;  I 
like  you,  Monsieur  Smith  ;  you  like  to 
work ;  you  mind  your  business.  Now 
I  do  something  for  your  five  little 
chicks.  There,  take  these  five  pieces 
of  paper  for  your  five  little  chicks ;  you 
shall  work  for  them ;  you  shall  mind 
your  business,  and  your  little  chicks 
shall  never  want  five  more.  Good 
bye." 

The  feelings  of  the  grateful  man 
being  too  much  overcome  to  allow  him 
to  reply,  he  departed  in  silence ;  and 
by  minding  his  own  business,  he  be- 
came one  of  the  wealthiest  of  his  name 
in  Philadelphia. 


Thomas  P.  Cope's  Integrity. 

A  PEKSON  highly  recommended  ap- 
proached Mr.  Cope,  the  Philadelphia 
merchant,  one  day,  and  invited  him  to 
embark  in  a  certain  joint-stock  enter- 
prise. In  a  careful  exposition  of  the 
matter,  he  made  it  appear  that  the 
scheme  was  likely  to  succeed,  and  that 
the  stock  would  instantly  run  up  to  a 
liberal  premium,  on  being  put  into  the 
market.  "Well,"  said  Mr.  Cope,  "I 
am  satisfied  on  that  point ;  I  believe  it 
would  be  as  thou  sayest.  But  what 
will  be  the  real  value  of  the  stock  ? " 
"  Why,  as  to  that,"  answered  the  specu- 
lator, "  I  cannot  say  (implying  by  his 
manner  what  he  thought) ;  but  that  is 
of  no  account,  for  all  tee  have  to  do  is 
to  sell  out,  and  make  our  thirty  or  for- 
ty per  cent,  profit."  "  I'll  have  nothing 
to  do  with  it — I'll  have  nothing  to  do 
with  it,"  was  the  prompt  and  indignant 
reply.  "  And  from  that  day,"  he  used 
to  say,  in  relating  the  occurrence,  "  I 
marked  that  man,  and  shunned  all  trans- 
actions with  him." 


Second  Thought  on  a  Trade. 

A  MAN  had  bought  a  pair  of  shoes 
from  a  dealer  in  that  article,  for  which 
he  promised  to  pay  him  on  a  future 
day.    He  went  with  his  money  on  the 


day  appointed,  but  found  that  the  deal- 
er had  in  the  interval  departed  this  life. 
Without  saying  anything  of  his  errand, 
he  withdrew  from  the  place,  secretly 
rejoicing  at  the  opportunity  thus  unex- 
pectedly afforded  him  of  gaining  a  pair 
of  shoes  for  nothing.  His  conscience, 
however,  would  not  suffer  him  to  remain 
at  ease  under  such  an  act  of  injustice ; 
so,  taking  the  money,  he  returned  to 
the  shop,  and  casting  in  the  money, 
said,  "  Go  thy  ways,  for  though  he  is 
dead  to  all  the  world  besides,  yet  he  is 
alive  to  me." 


Three  Uerchant  Voyagres,  and  their 
Besults. 

A  New  York  paper  makes  the  fol- 
lowing statement :  Several  years  ago, 
there  lived  in  one  of  our  seaports,  three 
merchants,  whom  we  wUl  designate  as 
A,  B,  and  C,  and  all  of  whom  were 
owners  of  freight  ships.  Each  of  these 
men  loaded  a  ship  at  the  same  time, 
which  were  to  go  first  to  Egypt,  and 
to  the  Baltic,  to  one  of  the  Russian 
ports.  All  being  loaded,  they  waited 
for  a  favorable  wind.  The  harbor  was 
so  situated,  that  there  was  no  egress  for 
ships  unless  the  wind  blew  in  a  particu- 
lar direction.  One  Sabbath  morning, 
the  wind  was  fair.  The  masters  of  the 
vessels  went  to  their  respective  owners 
for  sailing  orders.  A  and  B  imme- 
diately had  their  ships  put  to  sea ;  but 
C  told  the  master  that  he  must  remain 
in  port  imtil  the  next  day.  Before 
Monday  morning,  however,  the  wind 
had  changed,  and  remained  contrary 
until  the  next  Sunday,  when  it  again 
came  round  fair.  The  master  of  the 
vessel  again  repaired  to  the  house  of  0, 
to  procure  the  ship's  papers  and  orders. 
But,  to  his  astonishment,  C  remarked 
that  his  ship  must  not  leave  the  port 
on  the  Sabbath.  The  captain  attempt- 
ed to  reason  the  point  with  him,  but 
all  in  vain.  He  said  if  his  ship  never 
sailed,  it  should  not  put  to  sea  on  that 
day  of  the  week ;  and  he  was  willing 


156 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


to  run  all  the  risks  of  maintaining  his 
principle. 

Some  time  during  the  following  week, 
the  ship  sailed  with  a  fair  breeze,  and 
arrived  in  Egypt  just  as  the  ships  of  A 
and  B  were  about  to  saU  for  the  Baltic. 
In  the  mean  time,  information  had  cir- 
culated through  the  country,  that 
American  vessels  were  in  port,  wishing 
to  sell  their  cargoes,  and  purchase  a 
certain  kind  of  their  produce,  namely, 
rice.  The  desired  article  was  brought 
in  such  abundance  that  the  market  was 
glutted  by  the  time  C's  ship  arrived. 
In  consequence  of  this,  his  cargo  was 
sold  at  an  advanced  price,  and  his  ship 
loaded  at  a  much  better  rate  than  the 
others.  C's  vessel  proceeded  then  on 
her  voyage  up  the  Baltic.  The  ships 
were  to  dispose  of  their  rice  in  the  Rus- 
sian ports,  and  load  for  home  with  iron. 
C's  ship  arrived  in  the  Baltic  after 
those  of  A  and  B  had  purchased  their 
freight  and  nearly  loaded ;  and  good 
success  continued  to  attend  the  former, 
as  it  did  in  the  Mediterranean,  Abun- 
dance of  iron  was  brought  to  the  market, 
and  there  were  enough  purchasers  for 
the  rice.  All  these  ships  reached  Amer- 
ica about  the  same  time,  that  of  C  hav- 
ing actually  earned  as  much  by  the  voy- 
age as  both  the  others. 


Sharing:  in  a  Oood  Operation. 

With  the  foibles  generally  attendant 
upon  an  aspiring,  money-seeking  man, 
Mr,  Fordyce,  the  celebrated  English 
banker,  had  many  generous  qualities, 
A  young,  intelligent  merchant,  who 
kept  cash  at  his  banking  house,  one 
morning  making  a  small  deposit,  he 
happened  to  say  in  the  ofBce,  that  if  he 
could  command  some  thousands  at 
present,  there  was  a  certain  speculation 
to  be  pursued,  which  in  all  probablity 
would  turn  out  fortunate.  This  was 
said  carelessly,  without  Fordyce  appear- 
ing to  notice  it, 

A  few  months  afterward,  when  the 
same  merchant  was  settling  his  book 


with  the  house,  he  was  very  much  sur- 
prised to  see  the  sum  of  £500  placed  to 
his  credit,  more  than  he  knew  he  pos- 
sessed. Thinking  it  a  mistake,  he 
pointed  it  out  to  the  clerk,  who  seeing 
the  entry  in  Mr.  Fordyce's  handwriting, 
said  he  must  have  paid  it  to  him.  The 
merchant  knew  he  had  not,  and  begged 
to  see  Mr.  Fordyce — who,  on  appear- 
ing, said,  "  It  is  all  right  enough,  for  as 
I  made  £5,000  by  the  hint  yon  careless- 
ly threw  out,  I  think  you  fairly  entitled 
to  £500."  Mr,  Fordyce  did  not  stop 
here  ;  for  when,  some  years  afterward, 
the  merchant  became  embarrassed,  he 
found  a  liberal  friend  in  his  previous 
benefactor. 

Secrecy  in  Business  Transactions 
Practised  by  Bothschild. 

One  cause  of  Rothschild's  great  ad- 
vantage in  his  business  transactions  was 
the  secrecy  with  which  he  shrouded 
them,  and  the  tortuous  policy  with 
which  he  misled  those  the  most  who 
watched  him  the  keenest.  If  he  pos- 
sessed news  calculated  to  make  the 
funds  rise,  he  would  commission  the 
broker  who  acted  on  his  behalf  to  sell 
half  a  million.  The  shoal  of  men  who 
usually  follow  the  movements  of  others 
sold  with  him.  The  news  soon  passed 
through  the  monetary  circle  that  Roth- 
schild was  "  bearing  "  the  market,  and 
the  funds  fell.  Men  looked  doubtingly 
at  one  another ;  a  general  panic  spread ; 
bad  ncAvs  was  looked  for;  and  these 
imited  agencies  sunk  the  price  two  or 
three  per  cent.  This  was  the  result 
expected ;  and  other  brokers,  not  usu- 
ally employed  by  him,  bought  all  that 
they  could  at  the  reduced  rates.  By 
the  time  this  was  accomplished,  the 
good  news  had  arrived;  the  pressure 
ceased ;  the  funds  rose  instantly ;  and 
Mr.  Rothschild  reaped  his  reward. 
There  were,  however,  periods  when  his 
gigantic  capital  seemed  likely  to  be 
scattered  to  the  four  quarters  of  the 
globe.  He  lost  half  a  million  in  one 
English  operation;  when  the  French 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


157 


entered  Spain  in  1823,  he  was  also  in 
the  utmost  jeopardy  ;  but  perhaps  the 
most  perilous  position  in  which  he  was 
placed  was  with  the  famous  Polignac 
loan,  although  his  vast  intelligence 
saved  him,  and  placed  the  burden  on 
the  shoulders  of  others.  With  this, 
nevertheless,  he  suffered  greatly,  as  the 
price  fell  thirty  per  cent. 


Ladder  of  Commercial  Success. 

James  Halford  rose  step  by  step  up 
the  ladder  of  fortune  until  he  stood  se- 
curely at  the  summit,  with  fame,  wealth, 
and  honors  surrounding  him.  Some 
twenty  years  back,  this  same  James 
Hallbrd  was  at  the  very  foot  of  the  lad- 
der, pondering  how  he  should  rise. 
The  ladder  was  very  curious  to  contem- 
plate, and  still  more  curious  was  it  to 
hear  what  the  world  said  about  it. 

"  It  is  all  luck,  sir,"  cried  one,  "  noth- 
ing but  luck ;  why,  sir,  I  have  managed 
at  times  to  get  up  a  step  or  two,  but 
have  always  fallen  down  ere  long,  and 
now  I  have  given  up  striving,  for  luck 
is  against  me." 

"  No,  sir,"  cried  another,  "  it  is  not 
so  much  luck  as  scheming ;  the  selfish 
schemer  gets  up,  while  more  honest 
folks  remain  at  the  foot." 

"  Patronage  does  it  all,"  said  a  third ; 
"  you  must  have  somebody  to  take  you 
by  the  hand  and  help  you  up,  or  you 
have  no  chance." 

James  Halford  heard  all  these  varied 
opinions  of  the  world,  but  still  persisted 
in  looking  upward,  for  he  had  faith  in 
Tiimself. 

*'  The  cry  of  '  luck's  all,' — what  does 
it  amount  to  in  reality,"  thought  he, 
"  but  that  some  people  are  surrounded 
by  better  circumstances  than  others? 
They  must  still,  however,  take  advan- 
tage of  these  circumstances  permanent- 
ly to  succeed ;  and  I,  having  very  in- 
different circumstances  around  me,  have 
the  more  need  to  use  great  exertion  in 
order  to  better  them;  and  when  re- 
verses come,  I  will  not  despair,  as  some 


do,  but  persevere  on  to  fortune.  I 
want  no  friend  to  take  me  by  the  hand 
and  do  that  for  me  which  every  healthy 
man  can  do  better  for  himself.  No,  I 
will  rise  by  myself  alone." 

The  resolution  was  earnestly  made, 
and  faithfully  carried  out.  From  the 
humblest  capacity  in  a  store,  to  the 
post  of  highest  trust,  James  Halford 
rose  in  a  few  years.  He  became  a 
trader  for  himself,  and  amassed  a  heavy 
fortune. 


Six  days  for  Business  and  One  for  Best. 

A  DISTINGUISHED  Capitalist  and  finan- 
cier, charged  with  an  immense  amount 
of  property  during  the  great  pecuniary 
pressure  of  1836  and  1837,  said:  I 
should  have  been  a  dead  man,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  Sabbath.  Obliged  to 
work  from  morning  to  night,  to  a  de- 
gree that  no  hired  day-laborer  would 
submit  to,  through  the  whole  week,  I 
felt  on  Saturday,  especially  on  Satur- 
day afternoon,  as  if  I  must  have  rest. 
It  was  like  going  into  a  dense  fog. 
Everything  looked  dark  and  gloomy, 
as  if  nothing  could  be  saved.  I  dis- 
missed all  from  my  mind,  and  kept  the 
Sabbath  in  the  "  good  old  way."  On 
Monday  it  was  all  bright  sunshine.  I 
could  see  through — and  I  got  through. 
But  had  it  not  been  for  the  Sabbath,  I 
have  no  doubt  I  should  have  been  in 
the  grave. 

Boston  Merchant's  Opinion  ofBnsiness 
Hen's  Honesty. 

It  is  said  of  Mr.  Samuel  Appleton,  a 
"  merchant  prince  "  of  Boston,  that  he 
was  himself  so  thoroughly  upright,  that 
it  was  hard  for  him  to  doubt  the  hon- 
esty of  other  men — and,  as  is  often  the 
case,  men  were  really  to  him  what  he 
expected  them  to  be.  On  a  certain  oc- 
casion he  was  asked — and  the  answer 
threw  light  alike  on  his  own  character 
and  on  the  character  of  merchants  gen- 
erally— "  You  have  been  long  engaged 
in  business,  under  a  great  variety  of  cir- 


158 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


cumstances,  and  in  different  countries : 
what  is  your  opinion  in  regard  to  the 
honesty  of  mankind  ? "  "  Very  favora- 
ble," he  replied;  "very  generally,  I 
think,  they  mean  to  be  honest.  I  have 
never  in  my  life  met  with  more  than 
three  or  four  cases  in  which  I  thought 
a  man  intended  to  be  dishonest  in  deal- 
ing with  me." 


Philadelphia  Toting'  Merchant  who  was 
not  A&aid  of  Oirard. 

A  MAN  who  had  just  set  up  in  the 
hardware  business,  and  who  had  been 
a  clerk  where  Girard  had  traded,  ap- 
plied to  him  for  a  share  of  his  patron- 
age. Girard  bought  of  him,  and  when 
he  brought  in  the  bill,  found  fault  and 
marked  down  the  prices.  "  Cask  of 
nails,"  said  he,  "  which  I  was  offered 
for  so  and  so,  you  have  charged  so  and 
so,  and  you  must  take  it  off."  "  I  can- 
not do  it,"  said  the  young  merchant. 
"You  must  do  it,"  said  Girard.  "I 
cannot  and  will  not,"  said  the  mer- 
chant. Girard  bolted  out  of  the  door, 
apparently  in  a  rage,  but  soon  after 
sent  a  check  for  the  whole  bill.  The 
young  man  began  to  relent  and  say  to 
himself:  *'  Perhaps  he  was  offered  them 
at  that  price.  But  it  is  all  over  now ; 
I  am  sorry  I  did  not  reduce  the  bill, 
and  get  it  out  of  him  on  something 
else.  His  trade  would  have  been  worth 
a  good  deal  to  me."  By-and-by,  Girard 
came  again  and  gave  him  another  job. 
The  young  man  was  very  courteous,  and 
said,  "  I  Was  almost  sorry  I  did  not  re- 
duce your  former  bill."  '■'^  Reduce  a 
&iS.'"  said  Girard,  "  had  you  done  it,  I 
would  never  trade  with  you  again.  I 
meant  to  see  if  you  had  cheated  me." 


Hiding  the  Dollar  with  a  Dime. 

Buckley,  in  one  of  his  lectures,  made 
use  of  an  illustration  that  will  bear  re- 
peating :  Holding  a  dime  close  to  his 
eyes  with  one  hand,  and  a  half  dollar  at 
some  distance  with  the  other,  said  he : 
"  Now,  I  cannot  see  the  half  dollar  with 


this  eye,  for  the  dime  is  so  near  it,  it 
obscures  my  vision.  So  it  is  with  men 
of  business ;  in  their  eagerness  to  save 
a  dollar,  they  often  lose  sight  of  the 
fifty  within  their  reach." 


mercantile  Defalcation  made  good  after 
Sixty  Tears. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1821,  a 
man  of  respectable  appearance  entered 
the  Com  Exchange,  in  Mark  Lane,  Lon- 
don, and  advancing  to  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal factors,  asked  him  if  he  was  the 
legal  descendant  of  the  head  of  a  very 
ancient  firm  in  that  line,  long  since  ex- 
tinct ?  Being  answered  in  the  aflfirma- 
tive,  he  made  some  further  inquiries, 
confirmatory  of  the  first  question,  and 
departed.  On  the  same  day  in  the  fol- 
lowing week,  he  again  made  his  appear- 
ance with  a  bag,  which  he  presented  to 
the  factor,  and  containing  three  hun- 
dred and  seventy  sovereigns.  The  fac- 
tor, of  course,  surprised  at  the  transac- 
tion, began  to  make  some  inquiries; 
but  the  person  refused  to  answer  any 
questions,  observing,  that  the  property 
was  now  returned  to  its  rightful  owner 
— that  he  wanted  no  receipt,  and  that 
it  was  a  matter  of  no  consequence  who 
he  was.  On  referring  to  some  very  old 
business  accounts,  it  appeared  that  in 
the  year  1762,  the  firm  alluded  to  had 
a  very  extensive  business  contract,  in 
the  course  of  which  a  defalcation  to 
nearly  that  amount  occurred. 


Mysterious  Benefiaotor— Incident  of  the 
South  Sea  Bubble. 

One  day,  late  in  the  evening,  in  1720 
— a  year  celebrated  for  the  bursting  of 
the  South  Sea  Bubble — a  gentleman 
called  at  the  banking  house  of  Messrs. 
Hankey  &  Co.,  one  of  the  heaviest  in  the 
British  kingdom.  He  was  in  a  coach, 
but  refused  to  get  out,  and  desired 
that  one  of  the  partners  of  the  house 
would  come  to  him ;  into  the  hands  of 
this  banker,  when  he  appeared,  he  put  a 
parcel,  very  carefully  sealed  up,  and  de- 
sired that  it  might  be  taken  care  of  till 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITffiS. 


159 


he  should  return  again,  which  -would 
be  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  A  few 
da'ys  passed  away,  a  few  weeks,  a  few 
months ;  but  the  stranger  never  return- 
ed. At  the  end  of  the  second  or  third 
year,  the  partners  agreed  to  open  this 
mysterious  parcel,  when  they  found  it 
to  contain  the  large  sum  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  with  a 
letter,  stating  that  it  had  been  obtained 
by  the  South  Sea  speculation ;  and  di- 
recting that  it  should  be  put  in  the 
hands  of  three  trustees,  whose  names 
were  mentioned,  and  the  interest  to  be 
appropriated  to  the  relief  of  the  poor. 


Touro's  Great  Gift  to  a  Beggax. 

A  POOR  widow  once  called  upon  Mr. 
Touro,  the  benevolent  Hebrew  merchant 
of  New  Orleans,  and  opened  to  him  a 
very  moving  budget  of  griefs — she  had 
several  children,  her  rent  was  due,  and 
her  landlord  threatened  to  eject  her, 
nor  had  she  a  cent  with  which  to  buy 
food  or  clothes.  Long  before  she  had 
concluded  her  affecting  jeremiad,  Mr, 
Touro  had  filled  up  a  check  and  begged 
her  to  go  and  draw  it  at  once.  The 
poor  woman  proceeded  accordingly  to 
the  bank,  and  eagerly  presented  the 
check  at  the  counter.  The  teller  care- 
fully examined  the  check,  and  then  sur- 
veying the  poor,  scantily  dressed,  woe- 
begone looking  woman,  shook  his  head, 
and  informed  her  that  the  check  could 
not  be  paid.  With  a  heavy  heart,  and 
a  sense  of  mingled  shame  and  indigna- 
tion, that  she  should  have  been  thus 
"  cruelly  trifled  with,  "  she  returned  to 
Mr.  Touro's  store,  and  handing  him  the 
check,  remarked  that  it  ill  became  a 
rich  man  to  subject  a  poor  widow  to 
insult  and  mockery.  "  My  dear  mad- 
am," exclaimed  the  astonished  and 
philanthropic  merchant,  *'  it  is  all  I  can 
give  you  to-day ;  it  is,  I  know,  a  small 
sum,  but  it  is  all  I  can  spare  now." 
"  But  the  bank  officer  refuses  to  give 
me  anything  for  it,"  replied  the  dis- 
tressed widow.    "  Oh,  yes !    I  see  it  all 


— ^he  requires  proof  of  your  identity. 
Here,"  turning  to  his  clerk,  "  go  down 
to  the  bank  with  this  lady,  and  tell 
them  to  pay  that  check."  No  wonder 
that  the  teller  refused  to  pay  a  check  for 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  to  so  poor  and 
forlorn  looking  a  holder  I 


Generosity  of  Chickeringr,  the  Piano- 
forte lyiaker. 

Many  years  since,  a  boy,  who  thought 
and  dreamed  of  nothing  but  music,  wan- 
dered into  a  certain  large  establishment 
in  Boston,  where  his  favorite  instru- 
ments were  manufactured.  Passing 
into  the  extensive  saloons  where  these 
instruments  were  displayed,  he  sought 
out  a  quiet  corner,  and  seating  himself 
at  one  of  those  magnificent  pianos,  he 
first  looked  around,  to  be  sure  that  no 
one  was  listening,  and  then  began  to 
play  some  of  those  beautiful  waltzes  of 
Beethoven,  which,  at  that  time,  so  suit- 
ed his  capacity,  and  suited  his  heart. 
Borne  away  in  a  delicious  musical  rev- 
erie, he  did  not  for  some  time  observe 
that  a  figure  had  stolen  up  to  him  and 
was  listening  as  he  played.  A  benevo- 
lent face  was  over  him,  and  a  kind 
voice  addressed  words  of  commenda- 
tion and  praise,  which,  being  the  first 
the  boy  had  received,  sent  the  blood 
tingling  to  his  cheeks.  The  proprietor 
of  the  establishment,  for  it  was  he,  then 
asked  the  boy  if  he  would  like  to  come 
and  live  among  those  pianos,  discours- 
ing just  such  music  to  purchasers — 
thus  forming,  in  a  word,  a  connection 
with  his  establishment.  But  books  and 
college  were  before  the  boy ;  and  won- 
dering at  the  proposition,  he  timidly 
thanked  the  proprietor  and  declined. 

Years  passed  away.  School  and  col- 
lege were  done  with,  and  the  books 
thrown  aside.  The  boy  had  reached 
manhood  ;  but  still  the  spirit  of  music 
haunted  him,  and  again  he  found  him- 
self in  those  spacious  saloons.  He  had 
just  ceased  playing  upon  one  of  those 
magnificent  instruments  again,  and 
stood  looking  dreamily  out  of  the  win- 


160 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


dow,  and  down  upon  the  crowded 
"  Washington  street "  below.  Again  a 
quiet  figure  stole  up  to  him,  and  a 
most  musical  and  pleasant  voice  began 
to  speak.  The  person  before  him  was 
of  small  stature,  had  the  manners  and 
garb  of  a  gentleman,  was  dressed  in 
black,  with  a  single  magnificent  dia- 
mond pin  in  his  bosom ;  the  only  con- 
trast in  his  appearance  was  the  clean 
white  apron  of  a  workman,  which  he 
wore.  It  was  the  proprietor  of  the 
establishment  again ;  who,  wealthy  as 
he  was,  had  his  own  little  working 
cabinet,  with  an  exquisite  set  of  tools, 
and  there  put  the  finishing  touch  to 
each  of  his  beautiful  instruments — a 
touch  he  intrusted  to  no  one  else.  The 
proprietor  inquired  kindly  of  the  young 
man  as  to  his  plans  for  life.  These, 
alas !  were  undetermined.  The  voice 
of  music  was  more  fascinating  than 
ever ;  but  a  learned  profession  of  some 
kind  seemed  to  be  the  wish  and  ex- 
pectation of  his  friends.  Music,  how- 
ever, was  his  fii-st  and  strongest  love, 
and  he  had  sometimes  thought,  if  he 
could  but  go  abroad  to  study,  he  would 
decide  for  that.  His  father  had  given 
him  his  college  education  and  his  bless- 
ing, as  capital  for  life.  A  harsh  strug- 
gle with  the  world  was  before  him ; 
music,  therefore,  was  hardly  to  be 
thought  of 

In  the  quietest  tone  of  that  low, 
pleasant  voice,  the  proprietor,  as 
though  making  an  ordinary  remark, 
rejoined,  "  "Well,  but  then,  if  the  sum 
of  five  hundred  dollars  a  year  for  a 
period  of  four  years  would  suit  your 
purpose,  I  could  easily  supply  you 
with  that." 

The  world  grew  dim  before  him,  and 
the  young  man  almost  staggered  with 
surprise ;  but  when  he  recovered  him- 
self, there  was  the  same  quiet  gentle- 
man standing  beside  him,  and  looking 
pleasantly  out  of  the  window.  Two 
months  afterward  the  young  man  sailed 
for  Europe,  where  he  passed  the  allot- 
ted time  and  longer,  from  means  with 


which  his  own  compositions  in  the 
mean  time  furnished  him.  And  what- 
ever of  knowledge,  and  whatever  of 
artistic  culture,  and  whatever  of  suc- 
cess in  life,  as  connected  with  art,  have 
since  been  his, — and  he  has  long  been 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  among 
American  musical  composers, — he  as- 
cribes entirely  to  that  most  generous 
and  noble-hearted  Macsenas  of  art,  Jonas 
Chickering. 


Whale  Pishery  Enterprise  by  Amer- 
icans. 

The  first  attempts  at  the  whale  fish- 
ery, in  Massachusetts,  were  made  from 
the  south  shore  and  the  island  of  Nan- 
tucket, by  persons  who  went  out  in 
small  boats,  killed  their  whale,  and  re- 
turned the  same  day.  But  the  whales 
were  in  this  way  soon  driven  jfrom  the 
coast,  the  population  increased,  and  the 
demand  for  the  product  of  the  fisheries 
proportionably  augmented.  It  became 
necessary  to  apply  larger  capitals  to  the 
business.  Whaleships  were  now  fitted 
out  at  considerable  expense,  which  pur- 
sued the  adventurous  occupation  from 
Greenland  to  Brazil.  The  enterprise 
thus  manifested,  awoke  the  admira- 
tion of  Europe,  and  is  immortalized  in 
the  well-known  description  by  Burke. 
But  the  business  has  grown,  until  the 
ancient  fishing  grounds  have  become 
the  first  stations  on  a  modem  whaling 
voyage  ;  and  capitals  are  now  required 
sufficient  to  fit  out  a  vessel  for  an  ab- 
sence of  forty  months,  and  a  voyage  of 
circumnavigation.  Fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars are  invested  in  a  single  vessel ;  she 
doubles  Cape  Horn,  ranges  from  New 
South  Shetland  to  the  coasts  of  Japan, 
cruises  in  unexplored  latitudes,  stops  for 
refreshments  at  islands  before  undiscov- 
ered, and  on  the  basis,  perhaps,  of  an 
individual  house,  in  New  Bedford  or 
Nantucket,  performs  an  exploit  which, 
eighty  or  ninety  years  ago,  was  thought 
a  great  object  to  be  effected  by  the  re- 
sources of  the  British  government. 
The  "  overgrown  capitalist "  employed 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


161 


in  this  business  may  be  said  to  be  an 
"  overgrown  lamplighter," 


Enterprise  of  Tankees  and  Kussians 
'Cutely  Illustrated. 
A  GOOD  anecdote  is  told,  illustrating 
the  rather  superior  enterprise  of  the 
Yankees  over  the  Russians.  The  squad- 
rons sent  out  by  the  Russians  to  explore 
the  South  Seas,  had  attained  a  degree 
of  latitude  which  it  was  supposed  had 
never  before  been  reached,  when  land 
was  descried.  The  commander  was  con- 
gratulating himself  upon  a  discovery 
which  was  thus  to  immortalize  his 
name,  when,  standing  out  from  the- 
land,  a  simple  schooner  was  observed, 
which  proved  to  be  a  sealing  vessel  of 
thirty  tons.  Hoisting  the  stars  and 
stripes,  the  captain  of  the  Yankee  craft, 
for  such  she  proved,  ran  alongside  of 
the  commodore,  and  politely  offered  to 
pilot  him  in  !  The  Russian  was  aston- 
ished "  some,"  to  find  such  a  rig  and 
such  a  crew  at  a  spot  which,  in  Europe, 
was  not  known  to  exist — though,  in- 
deed, it  would  be  really  more  astonish- 
ing to  find  a  place  where  Yankee  trad- 
ing enterprise  had  not  penetrated. 
Working  a  gold  mine  on  the  top  of 
Himmaleh,  or  speculating  in  dead  horse 
flesh  among  the  XJsbecs — ^heading  a 
caravan  across  the  Siberia,  or  trapping 
bears  at  the  North  Pole — ^bartering  yel- 
low buttons  for  goats'  hair  in  the  capi- 
tal of  the  Grand  Lama,  or  exchanging 
fez-caps  and  coral  for  Soudan  ingots,  in 
the  stalls  of  Timbuctoo — in  any  and  all 
of  these  places  and  employments,  the 
Yankee  might  be  expected  to  be  found. 


Tempting:  Business  Paragraph. 

"  We  are  well  acquainted,"  says  the 
editor  of  a  city  journal,  "  with  a  young 
and  very  handsome  girl,  who  has  the 
principal  management  of  a  large  mer- 
cantile establishment  in  a  flourishing 
country  town,  who  visits  different  cities 
alone,  stops  at  hotels,  purchases  sup- 
plies of  dry  goods,  dimity,  hardware, 
11 


china,  groceries,  shoes,  nick-nacks,  and 
all  the  multifarious  saleables  which  make 
up  '  a  stock '  in  a  miscellaneous  store. 
She  gives  notes,  makes  contracts,  and 
attends  to  all  such  business  as  belongs 
to  her ;  and  we  have  never  yet  learned 
that  she  has  sacrificed  one  iota  of  the 
dignity,  admiration  and  respect,  which 
are  her  just  due  as  a  young,  amiable, 
and  very  pretty  woman.     There  !  " 


Bone  and  Offal  Hillionnaire. 

Some  years  ago,  a  poor  French  wom- 
an, residing  at  Buenos  Ayres,  being  ex- 
ceedingly perplexed  with  regard  to  the 
"  ways  and  means,"  set  her  inventive 
genius  to  work,  and  hit  upon  the  fol- 
lowing expedient : 

Observing  a  vast  quantity  of  bones 
and  animal  offal  thrown  away  from  the 
slaughter  houses  with  which  Buenos 
Ayres  abounds,  a  thought  struck  her 
that  she  might  turn  this  waste  to  a 
profitable  account.  Having  procured 
a  large  iron  pot,  and  collected  a  quan- 
tity of  bones,,  etc.,  she  commenced  oper- 
ations by  boiling  them,  and  skimming 
off  the  fat,  which  she  then  sold  at  the 
stores.  Finding  the  proceeds  of  her 
industry  amply  rewarded  her  labor,  she 
persevered,  advancing  from  a  pot  to  a 
boiler,  and  from  a  boiler  to  a  steaming 
vat,  until  she  possessed  a  magnificent 
apparatus,  capable  of  reducing  a  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  to  tallow,  at  one 
steaming.  In  course  of  time  she  sold 
her  manufactory,  and  retired  from  busi- 
ness with  a  large  fortune,  rolling  through 
the  streets  in  one  of  the  most  sumptu- 
ous carriages  in  Buenos  Ayres.  There 
is  now  scarcely  a  respectable  merchant 
in  that  place,  or  in  Montevideo,  who  is 
not  in  some  way  connected  with  cattle- 
steaming. 

"  Five  Years  of  Privation  and  a  For- 
tune." 

Undek  the  arcades  near  the  markets, 
in  Havana,  may  be  seen  a  number  of 
shops,  not  ten  feet  square,  with  a  show- 


182 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


case  in  front,  before  which  "a  restless 
being  is  constantly  walking;  remind- 
ing one  of  a  caged  wild  animal  that 
chafes  for  a  wider  range.  At  night, 
the  showcase  is  carried  into  his  little 
cabin,  which  serves  him  for  a  shop, 
dormitory,  and  kitchen, — and  where  he 
may  be  often  seen  preparing  his  frugal 
meal  over  a  chafing  dish  of  live  char- 
coal. "  Five  years  of  privation  and  a 
fortune,^''  is  his  motto ;  and  not  a  few 
of  the  wealthiest  Spanish  residents  in 
Cuba  are  said  to  date  the  commence- 
ment of  their  prosperity  from  so  hum- 
ble a  source.  These  are  the  Catalans — 
an  industrious,  shrewd,  economical 
class,  who  have  received  the  sobriquet 
of  Spanish  Jews.  A  large  portion  of 
the  commerce  of  the  island  is  in  their 
hands,  as  well  as  a  very  great  part  of 
its  wealth.  In  the  interior  of  the 
island  they  appear  to  monopolize  every 
branch  of  trading,  from  the  pack  of  the 
humblest  peddler  to  the  country  tienda 
with  its  varied  contents ;  and,  in  the 
maritime  towns,  many  a  commercial 
house,  whose  ships  cover  the  sea,  is 
theirs. 


McDonoerb.'s  Greatest  Victory. 

One  of  John  McDonogh's  favorite 
plans  of  operation,  to  increase  his  for- 
tune, was  to  purchase  the  back  lands 
of  plantations  on  the  river,  the  value 
of  which  would  be  increased  enormous- 
ly by  the  improvements  in  front  of 
them.  So  he  eagerly  pounced  upon  all 
the  lands  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
towns  and  villages  in  the  State.  One 
of  the  most  brilliant  of  his  feats  in  this 
sphere  was  the  completion  of  his  lines 
of  circumvallation  around  the  city  of 
New  Orleans.  For  many  years  he  pur- 
sued this  object  with  the  greatest  ardor 
and  intensity.  Commencing  at  the  up- 
per end  of  the  city,  he  stole  gradually 
around  through  the  swamps,  purchas- 
ing large  belts  of  land,  until  at  last,  a 
few  years  before  his  death,  meeting 
one  of  his  old  friends  in  the  street,  he 


slapped  him  on  the  shoulder,  and  with 
his  face  full  of  enthusiasm  and  joy,  ex- 
claimed, "  Congratulate  me,  my  friend ; 
I  have  achieved  the  greatest  victory  of 
my  life.  I  have  drawn  my  lines  around 
the  city,  and  now  entirely  embrace  it 
in  my  arms — all  for  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  good  of  my  race." 


James  G-.  Kingr's  Treatment  of  Resent- 
ments. 

An  incident  in  the  life  of  James  Gore 
King  affords  a  pleasing  illustration  of 
the  tenderness  of  heart  which  not  un- 
frequently  accompanies  liigh  mercantile 
character.  A  misunderstanding  had 
for  some  years  existed,  and  compara- 
tive estrangement  between  him  and  one 
who  had  been  early  connected  with  him 
by  family  ties.  This  state  of  things 
grieved  him,  for  having  no  resent- 
ment or  unkindness  in  his  own  heart, 
he  was  uneasy  even  under  the  appear- 
ance of  cherishing  any.  A  casual  and 
most  improbable  meeting  in  a  city  omni- 
bus, only  four  days  before  his  death,  with 
the  person  thus  estranged,  the  inhabit- 
ant of  another  State,  afforded  him  the 
opportunity  of  reconciliation.  After 
exchanging  friendly  salutations  in  the 
omnibus,  when  the  person  alighted  he 
too  got  out,  and  when  alone  together 
said,  extending  his  hand,  "  If,  without 
asking  or  giving  any  explanation,  you 
are  willing  that  we  should  be  friends, 
let  it  be  so ;"  adding,  with  that  thought- 
ful prescience  which  sometimes  goes 
before  the  event,  "  I  want,  before  I  die, 
to  be  at  peace  with  all."  The  extend- 
ed hand  was  taken ;  and  the  {)articulars 
of  this  interview  comprised  one  of  the 
last  subjects  upon  which  Mr.  King  con- 
versed, and  with  much  happiness,  just 
before  his  death. 


Noble  ]y[ercantile  Trait  of  Jonatlian 
Goodhue. 

The  late  Mr.  Jonathan  Goodhue  was 
noted  for  the  ready-flowing  sympathy 
and  fellow  feeling  which  marked  his 
character.    It  was  especially  manifested 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS   QUALITIES. 


163 


toward  those  in  dependent  situations 
and  in  the  more  humble  walks  of  life. 
No  laboring  man,  however  low  his  con- 
dition, could  be  engaged  in  his  service 
without  perceiving  that  he  had  a  con- 
siderate regard  for  his  feelings  and  for 
his  rights.  No  domestic  ever  lived  in 
his  family  without  being  impressed  by 
his  condescension  and  kindness.  This 
feeling  made  him  reluctant  to  part  with 
those  who  had  faithfully  served  him, 
and  few  men  have  ever  made  so  few 
changes  in  those  who  have  held  subor- 
dinate situations  under  them.  The 
cartman  who,  on  his  first  arrival  in 
New  York,  took  his  baggage  to  his 
lodgings,  was  employed  by  him  until 
old  age  obliged  Tiim  to  retire  from  ac- 
tive life.  A  principal  book-keeper, 
well  worthy  of  his  confidence  and 
esteem,  remained  with  him  for  fifteen 
years,  and  then  withdrew  because  of  a 
change  in  his  mode  of  life.  A  con- 
fidential counting-room  porter,  after 
being  in  his  service  for  twenty-five 
years,  still  holds  his  place  in  the  house 
of  Goodhue  &  Co.  Th'ese  incidents 
show  a  trait  of  character  indicating 
true  nobility. 


Bedeemin^.IiOst  Time. 

The  diligence  and  application  dis- 
played by  Gideon  Lee  were  remark- 
able ;  he  usually  worked  sixteen  hours 
out  of  the  twenty-four.  An  anecdote 
which  he  used  to  relate  of  himself  in 
this  connection,  is  worthy  of  being  told, 
as  illustrating  two  traits  in  his  charac- 
ter, which  adhered  to  him  through  life 
— his  great  industry  and  his  resolution. 
He  had  "  made  a  bargain  with  himself," 
as  be  expressed  it,  to  "  labor  each  day 
a  certain  number  of  hours,  and  nothing 
but  sickness  or  inability  should  make 
him  break  the  contract.  It  was  known 
to  my  young  friends  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  on  some  convivial  occasion, 
a  quilting  frolic,  I  believe,  they  came 
to  my  shop  and  compelled  me  to  leave 
my  work  and  go  with  them ;    there 


being  girls  also  in  the  deputation,  my 
gallantry  could  not  resist.  I  lost  my 
night's  rest  in  consequence,  for  the 
morning  sun  found  me  at  work,  redeem- 
ing the  lost  time.''''  After  gratifying  his 
friends  by  spending  the  evening  in 
their  society,  he  returned  to  the  shop 
to  gratify  Mm^lf,  by  not  violating  his 
faith. 


Restitution  by  a  Shopkeeper. 

A  GENTLEMAN,  passing  through  the 
streets  of  Newcastle,  was  called  in  by  a 
well  known  and  extensive  shopkeeper, 
who  acknowledged  himself  indebted  to 
him  to  the  amount  of  a  guinea.  The 
gentleman,  much  astonished,  inquired 
how  this  was,  as  he  had  no  recollection 
of  the  circumstance.  The  shopkeeper 
replied,  that  about  twenty  years  before, 
as  tlie  gentleman's  wife  was  crossing 
the  river  Tyne  in  a  boat  which  he  was 
in,  she  accidentally  dropped  half  a 
guinea,  as  she  took  out  her  money  to 
pay  the  fare.  The  now  well-off  shop- 
keeper, who  had  then  a  family  at  home 
literally  starving,  snatched  up  the  half 
guinea.  He  had  since  been  prosperous 
in  his  business,  and  now  seized  the  first 
opportunity  since  his  good  fortune,  of 
paying  the  money,  with  interest. 


Spanish  mercantile  Dealing:. 

The  Spanish  galleons  destined  to 
supply  Terra  Firma,  and  the  kingdoms 
of  Peru  and  Chili,  with  almost  every 
article  of  necessary  consumption,  used 
to  touch  first  at  Carthagena,  and  then  at 
Porto  Bello.  In  the  latter  place  a  fair 
was  opened;  the  wealth  of  America 
was  exchanged  for  the  manufactures  of 
Europe ;  and  during  its  prescribed  term 
of  forty  days  the  richest  traffic  on  the 
face  of  the  earth  was  begun  and  finished 
with  unbounded  confidence  and  the 
utmost  simplicity  of  transaction.  No 
bale  of  goods  was  ever  opened,  no  chest 
of  treasure  examined ;  both  were  re- 
ceived on  the  credit  of  the  persona  to 


164 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


■whom  they  belonged — only  one  in- 
stance of  fraud  being  recorded,  during 
the  long  period  in  which  trade  was 
carried  on  with  this  liberal  and  unsus- 
pecting confidence.  It  seems  that  all 
the  coined  silver  which  was  brought 
from  Peru  to  Porto  Bello,  in  the  year 
1654,  was  found  to  be  adulterated,  and 
to  be  mingled  with  a  fifth  part  of  base 
metal.  The  Spanish  merchants,  with 
their  usual  integrity,  sustained  the 
whole  loss,  and  indemnified  the  for- 
eigners by  whom  they  were  employed. 
The  fraud  was  detected,  and  the  treas- 
urer of  the  revenue  in  Peru,  the  author 
of  it,  was  publicly  burnt. 


Not  Disposed  to  Lie. 

When  that  model  merchant,  Abbott 
Lawrence,  was  at  the  height  of  his  mer- 
cantile prosperity,  he  was  ofiered  the 
post  of  ambassador  to  the  English 
Court — an  elegant  compliment  to  him- 
self personally,  and  to  the  honorable 
and  influential  class  of  whom  he  might 
almost  be  said  to  be  the  head.  Before 
accepting,  he  asked  Mr.  Everett,  who 
had  already  occupied  the  post,  "  wheth- 
er there  was  really  any  foundation  in 
truth  for  the  ancient  epigrammatic  jest, 
that  an  ambassador  is  a  person  sent  to 
a  foreign  government  to  tell  lies  for  his 
own,"  adding  that,  "  if  such  was  the 
case,  his  mind  was  made  up ;  he  had 
never  yet  told  a  lie,  and  was  not  going 
to  begin  at  the  age  of  fifty-six."  Mr. 
Everett  told  him  he  could  answer  for 
himself  as  a  foreign  minister,  that  he 
had  never  said  a  word  or  written  a  line 
which,  as  far  as  his  own  character  or 
that  of  his  government  was  concerned, 
he  should  have  been  unwilling  to  see  in 
the  newspaper  the  next  day.  This  ex- 
planation, the  upright  merchant  re- 
plied, removed  one  of  his  scruples. 


attendant,  which  was  nearly  four  score 
years  ago,  he  was  making  large  ship- 
ments to  the  "West  Indies,  and  he  or- 
dered her  to  procure  some  fifty  kegs  of 
lard  from  her  father,  who  was  a  farmer, 
and  ship  them  upon  her  own  account. 
She  did  so  ;  and  the  product,  from  some 
unusual  state  of  the  market  at  that  time 
was  immense.  This  product  remained 
on  her  hands  until  her  death,  and  was 
afterward  recovered  from  his  executors. 


Polly  Kenton's  LArd  Speculation. 

When  Miss  Kenton  first  came  into 
Girard's  employ,  as  his  housekeeper  or 


Handful  of  Wool  and  a  Bank  of  Money. 

A  Marseilles  merchant  had  a 
daughter  named  Eugenie,  who  early 
married  a  Catalan  officer,  in  the  service 
of  Don  Carlos.  He  fell  in  battle,  and 
after  burying  him  in  a  grave  dug  with 
her  own  hands,  this  widow  with  her 
two  children,  wretched,  and  utterly  pen- 
niless, fled  to  the  solitude  of  the  Span- 
ish mountains,  taking  refuge  in  a  ruined 
convent.  There,  by  various  little  ser- 
vices to  the  shepherds  and  peasants, 
she  obtained  a  scanty  crust  and  milk 
for  her  infants.  Becoming  thus  more 
and  more  acquainted  with  the  women 
who  visited  the  mountains  to  carry 
food  to  their  husbands,  she  invited 
them  to  bring  -nath  them  their  wheels 
and  spin  together  in  her  place  of 
abode,  as  more  convenient  and  less 
lonely  than  for  each  to  labor  by  herself. 
This  they  did  in  great  numbers,  and  at 
the  end  of  every  week  the  grateftil 
peasants  presented  her  a  handful  of 
spun  wool  each.  Out  of  this  handful 
of  wool  she  in  due  time  made  a  bank 
of  money  and  a  vast  estate. 

Descending  occasionally  to  the  near- 
est town,  she  sold  these  little  wool 
gatherings,  and  had  in  a  few  months 
accumulated,  through  this  means,  suf- 
ficient money  to  purchase  the  shep- 
herds' raw  wool,  and  to  beg  for  an 
hour's  labor,  instead  of  the  handful  of 
material  from  her  guests.  Before  the 
summer  season  was  over,  and  its  occu- 
pations, she  collected,  by  management 
and  industry,  enough  funds   to   pay 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


165 


them  for  their  work ;  and,  at  the  next 
sheep-shearing,  she  became  the  pur- 
chaser of  more  than  half  the  wool. 

Encouraged  by  the  rewards  of  her 
business  skill  thus  far,  she  proceeded, 
the  second  spring  following,  under  the 
escort  of  some  of  her  shepherd  friends, 
to  the  frontier,  where  she  contracted 
with  one  of  the  greatest  wool-buyers 
in  the  country,  for  the  produce  of  the 
next  winter's  spinning.  In  the  space 
of  three  years  the  old  convent  was  con- 
verted into  a  spinning  factory ;  became 
renowned  throughout  the  north  of 
Spain  for  the  fineness  of  its  produce ; 
and  proved  both  a  source  of  social  com- 
fort and  pecuniary  prosperity  to  the 
poor  peasants  who  had  once,  out  of 
their  humble  means,  exercised  charity 
toward  its  then  desolate  and  necessi- 
tous inmate. 

Madame  L 's  web  of  good  fortune 

waxed  after  this  agreeable  fashion  every 
year,  until  she  became  an  exceedingly 
wealthy  capitalist,  with  literally  a  bank 
of  money,  and  credit  unlimited.  She 
has  four  factories  in  Spain,  and  seven 
in  France,  besides  cotton  and  flax  mills 
in  Belgium.  And  all  this  great  fortune 
has  been  extracted  or  irradiated  from 
that  handful  of  wool  I 


Johnson's  Prejudice  agrainst  Mer- 
chants. 

Dr.  Johnson  was  bitterly  prejudiced 
against  the  mercantile  classes,  whether 
of  humble  or  high  degree.  At  break- 
fast, says  his  entertaining  jackal.  Bos- 
well,  I  asked : 

"  What  is  the  reason  that  we  are  an- 
gry at  a  trader's  having  opulence  ?  " 

"  Why,  sir,"  said  Johnson,  "  the  rea- 
son is,  though  I  do  not  undertake  to 
prove  there  is  a  reason,  we  see  no  quali- 
ties in  trade  that  should  entitle  such  a 
man  to  superiority.  We  are  not  angry 
at  a  soldier's  getting  riches,  because  we 
see  that  he  possesses  qualities  which  we 
have  not.  If  a  man  returns  from  battle, 
having  lost  one  hand,  with  the  other 


full  of  gold,  we  feel  that  he  deserves  the 
gold ;  but  we  cannot  think  that  a  fel- 
low sitting  all  day  at  a  desk  is  entitled 
to  get  above  us." 

"  But,"  responded  Boswell,  "  may  we 
not  suppose  a  merchant  to  be  a  man  of 
an  enlarged  mind,  such  as  Addison  in 
the  Spectator  describes  Sir  Andrew 
Freeport  to  have  been  ? " 

"  Why,  sir,"  quoth  Johnson,  "  we 
may  suppose  any  fictitious  character. 
We  may  suppose  a  philosophical  day 
laborer,  who  is  happy  in  reflecting  that, 
by  his  labor,  he  contributes  to  the  fer- 
tility of  the  earth,  and  the  support  of 
his  fellow  creatures ;  but  we  find  no 
such  philosophical  day  laborer.  A 
merchant  may,  perhaps,  be  a  man 
of  an  enlarged  mind,  but  there  is  noth- 
ing in  trade  connected  with  an  enlarged 
mind." 

Johnson's  opinion — he  who  could  say 
that  Americans  ought  to  be  thankful 
for  anything  "  short  of  hanging," — will 
not  have  much  weight  at  the  present 
day. 

- — ■♦ 

Business  Haljits  of  A.  T.  Stewart. 

It  is  said  of  A.  T.  Stewart,  that  so 
accurate  is  his  comprehension  of  all  the 
departments  of  his  great  establishment, 
that  his  clerks  have  sometimes  imagined 
that  he  has  an  invisible  telegraph  gird- 
ling the  whole  building.  They  also 
have  a  saying,  that  if  any  one  of  them 
is  absent  he  is  the  one  to  be  first  called 
for. 

But  few  of  the  thousands  who  trade 
at  Stewart's  ever  get  sight  of  the  pro- 
prietor. He  is  only  to  be  found  at  his 
office,  which  is  situated  on  the  second 
story,  on  the  side  of  the  house  looking 
into  Chambers  street.  Here  he  sits  at 
his  desk,  absorbed  by  his  responsibili- 
ties, directing  the  various  energies  of 
the  great  body  of  which  he  is  the  head- 
None,  except  a  man  of  the  highest  exe- 
cutive ability,  could  endure  the  con- 
stant care,  the  earnest  effort.  He  is  the 
hardest  worker  in  the  concern.    It  is 


166 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


not  generally  known  that  during  these 
hours  of  application,  and  while  en- 
grossed in  the  management  of  his  im- 
mense operations,  no  one  is  allowed  to 
address  him  personally  until  his  errand 
or  business  shall  have  been  first  laid  be- 
fore a  subordinate.  If  it  is  of  such  a 
character  that  that  gentleman  can  at- 
tend to  it,  it  goes  no  farther,  and  hence 
it  rests  with  him  to  communicate  it  to 
his  principal.  In  illustration  of  this 
system,  the  following  incident  is  re- 
lated :  One  day  a  person  entered  the 
wholesale  department,  with  an  air  of 
great  importance,  and  demanded  to  see 
the  proprietor.  That  proprietor  could 
be  very  easily  seen,  as  he  was  sitting  in 
his  office,  but  the  stranger  was  cour- 
teously met  by  the  assistant,  with  the 
usual  inquiry  as  to  the  nature  of  his 
business.  The  stranger,  who  was  a 
Government  man,  bristled  up  and  ex- 
claimed, indignantly,  "  Sir,  I  come 
from  Mr.  L ,  and  shall  tell  my  busi- 
ness to  no  one  but  Mr.  Stewart." 
"  Sir,"     replied    the    inevitable     Mr. 

Brown,   "  if  Mr.  L himself,  were 

to  come  here,  he  would  not  see  Mr. 
Stewart  until  he  should  have  first  told 
me  his  business." 


Thorburn's  Flowery  Path  to  Fortune. 

One  of  the  pleasantest  stories  of  the 
casual  manner  in  which  a  business  was 
commenced  which  led  on  to  fortune,  is 
that  given  by  Grant  Thorbum,  former- 
ly the  keeper  of  a  small  grocery,  after- 
ward the  leading  and  most  wealthy 
American  seedsman  and  florist,  his 
business  relations  extending  to  almost 
all  parts.  Here  it  is,  in  the  easy  and 
simple  style  of  that  remarkable  man : 

On  the  east  comer  of  Nassau  and 
Liberty  streets.  New  York,  there  lived 
the  venerable  old  gentleman,  Mr.  Isaac 
Van  Hook,  so  well  known  as  the  sexton 
of  the  New  Dutch  church  opposite  his 
house,  for  nearly  fifty  years.  In  course 
of  time,  J.  L.  and  W.  S.,  both  cabinet 
makers,  and  carrying  on  a  respectable 


business,  having  in  their  employment 
ten  or  twelve  journeymen  and  appren- 
tices, took  a  mad  resolution,  gave  up 
their  business,  sold  their  stock,  hired 
the  comer  house  over  the  head  of  poor 
old  Van  Hook,  turning  him  and  his  to- 
bacco pipes  out  of  doors,  and  com- 
menced the  grocery  business.  Theirs 
being  a  comer,  took  away  the  most  of 
my  customers ;  insomuch  that  I  was 
obliged  to  look  round  for  some  other 
mode  to  support  my  famUy.  This,  you 
may  be  sure,  I  considered  a  great  mis- 
fortune ;  but,  in  the  sequel,  prepared 
the  way  to  put  me  into  a  more  agree- 
able and  profitable  business. 

About  this  time  the  ladies  in  New 
York  were  beginning  to  show  their 
taste  for  flowers,  and  it  was  customary 
to  sell  the  empty  flower  pots  in  the 
grocery  stores  ;  these  articles  also  com- 
posed part  of  my  stock. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year,  when  the  plants 
wanted  shifting,  preparatory  to  their 
being  placed  in  the  parlor,  I  was  often 
asked  for  pots  of  a  handsomer  quality, 
or  better  made.  As  stated  above,  I  was 
looking  round  for  some  other  means  to 
support  my  family.  All  at  once  it  catoe 
into  my  mind  to  take  and  paint  some 
of  my  common  flower  pots  with  green 
vamish  paint,  thinking  it  would  bet- 
ter suit  the  taste  of  the  ladies  than 
the  common  brickbat-colored  ones.  I 
painted  two  pair,  and  exposed  them  in 
front  of  my  window ;  they  soon  drew 
attention,  and  were  sold.  I  painted  six 
pair;  they  soon  went  the  same  way. 
Being  thus  encouraged,  I  continued 
painting  and  selling  to  good  advantage. 
This  was  in  the  fall  of  1802.  One  day, 
in  the  month  of  April  following,  I  ob- 
served a  man,  for  the  first  time,  selling 
flower  plants  in  the  Fly  market,  which 
then  stood  at  the  foot  of  Maiden  lane. 
As  I  carelessly  passed  along,  I  took  a 
leaf,  and  rubbing  it  between  my  finger 
and  thumb,  asked  him  what  was  the 
name  of  it.  He  answered,  a  geranium. 
This,  as  far  as  I  can  recollect,  was  the 
first  time  I  ever  heard  that  the  flower  in 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


167 


question  was  a  geranium ;  as,  before 
this,  I  had  no  taste  for,  nor  paid  any 
attention  to  plants.  I  looked  a  few 
minutes  at  the  plant,  thought  it  had  a 
pleasant  smell,  and  that  it  would  look 
well  if  removed  into  one  of  my  green 
flower  pots,  to  stand  on  my  counter  and 
thus  draw  attention. 

Observe,  I  did  not  purchase  this 
plant  with  the  intention  of  selling  it 
again,  but  merely  to  draw  attention  to 
my  green  pots,  and  let  the  people  see 
how  well  the  pots  looked  when  the 
plant  was  in  them.  Next  day,  some 
one  fancied  and  purchased  both  plant 
and  pot.  The  day  following,  I  went 
■when  the  market  was  nearly  over,  judg- 
ing the  man  would  sell  cheaper,  rather 
than  have  the  trouble  of  carrying  them 
over  the  river,  as  he  lived  at  Brooklyn 
— and  in  those  days  there  were  neither 
steam  nor  horse  boats.  Accordingly,  I 
purchased  two  plants,  and  having  sold 
them,  I  began  to  think  that  something 
might  be  done  in  this  way ;  and  so  I 
continued  to  go,  at  the  close  of  the 
market,  and  always  bargained  for  the 
unsold  plants.  The  man,  finding  me  a 
useful  customer,  would  assist  me  to 
carry  them  home,  and  show  me  how  to 
shift  the  plants  out  of  his  pots  and  put 
them  into  the  green  pots,  if  any  cus- 
tomers wished  it.  I  soon  found,  by  his 
tongue,  that  he  was  a  Scotchman,  and 
being  countrymen,  we  wrought  into  one 
another's  hands,  and  thus,  from  having 
one  plant,  in  a  short  time  I  had  fifty. 
The  thing  being  a  novelty,  began  to 
draw  attention;  people  carrying  their 
country  friends  to  see  the  curiosities  of 
the  city,  would  step  in  to  see  my  plants. 
In  some  of  these  visits  the  strangers 
would  express  a  wish  to  have  some  of 
these  plants,  but,  having  so  far  to  go, 
could  not  carry  them.  Then  they 
would  ask  if  I  had  no  seed  of  such 
plants ;  then,  again,  others  would  ask 
for  cabbage,  turnip,  or  radish  seed,  etc. 
These  frequent  inquiries  at  length  set 
me  to  thinking  that,  if  I  could  get 
seeds,  I  would  be  able  to  sell  them ; 


but  here  lay  the  difficulty.  As  no  one 
sold  seed  in  New  York,  none  of  the 
farmers  or  gardeners  saved  more  than 
what  they  wanted  for  their  own  use, 
there  being  no  market  for  an  overplus. 
In  this  dilemma,  I  told  my  situation  to 
G.  I.,  the  man  from  whom  I  had  always 
bought  the  plants  in  the  Fly  market. 
He  said  he  was  now  raising  seeds,  with 
the  intention  of  selling  them  next  spring 
along  with  his  plants  in  the  market ; 
but  added,  that  if  I  would  take  his 
seeds,  he  would  quit  the  market,  and 
stay  at  home  and  raise  plants  and  seeds 
for  me  to  sell.  A  bargain  was  imme- 
diately struck;  I  purchased  his  stock 
of  seeds,  amounting  to  fifteen  dollars, 
and  thus  commenced  a  business,  on  the 
17th  of  September,  1805,  that  became 
the  most  extensive  establishment  of  the 
kind  in  the  western  world. 


Bruised,  but  not  Crushed— the  Ilessrs. 
Brown,  of  I<iverpooL 

The  transactions  of  the  eminent  firm 
of  the  Browns,  in  Liverpool,  are  said  to 
have  amounted,  in  the  year  1836,  to 
fifty  millions  of  dollars.  In  1837,  the 
American  banks  all  over  the  country 
went  down  one  after  the  other,  and 
many  together,  almost  with  a  universal 
crash.  They  fell,  and  their  fall  involv- 
ed the  Messrs.  Brown.  The  latter, 
though  bruised,  were  not  crushed. 
American  commerce  was  at  that  time  a 
towering  pile  in  course  of  erection — 
bank  credit  was  the  scaflblding.  It 
fell ;  and  the  Browns  were  not  far  from 
being  smothered  in  the  rubbish.  Had 
they  possessed  less  than  the  strength  of 
giants,  they  could  not  have  extricated 
themselves — and,  giants  though  they 
were,  they  would  have  struggled  in 
vain,  had  not  a  powerful  hand  assisted 
them.  The  British  government  saw, 
and  looked  with  apprehension  as  it 
saw,  the  struggles  of  this  colossal  mer- 
cantile house.  From  Inverness  to  Pen- 
zance, there  was  not  a  single  town  but 
would  have  felt  its  fall.  In  ShefBeM 
and  Birmingham,  and  the  towns  sur- 


168 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


rounding  them,  and  in  Manchester, 
Leeds,  and  all  the  great  factory  com- 
munities, a  large  number  of  the  mer- 
chants and  employers — and,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  every  man  and  woman  em- 
ployed— were  more  or  less  involved  in 
the  fate  of  this  establishment.  The 
government  of  that  day  saw  the  immi- 
nent peril,  and  so  did  the  directors  of 
tlie  Bank  of  England.  The  latter  met, 
and  passed  a  resolution  to  give  assist- 
ance to  the  extent  of  some  two  million 
pounds  to  Mr.  Brown ;  the  exact  sum 
which  he  was  authorized  to  draw — a 
loan  of  money,  to  a  single  individual, 
unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the  world, 
unless  it  be  the  case  of  George  Peabody 
— was  one  mUlion  and  nine  hundred 
and  fifty-nine  thousan'd  pounds,  or 
nearly  ten  million  dollars.  Of  this 
loan,  IVIr.  Brown  took  advantage  to  the 
extent  of  between  eight  and  nine  hun- 
dred thousand  pounds,  which  he  after- 
ward repaid,  besides  clearing  up  all 
other  embarrassments,  and  ultimately 
possessing  one  of  the  greatest  personal 
fortunes  ever  accumulated  in  the  world. 
The  solid  romance  of  this  page  in  the 
history  of  so  world-renowned  a  firm  is 
rarely  surpassed  in  interest. 


Wealthy  Hen  of  Cincinnati. 

There  is  a  man  doing  business  on 
Main  street,  Cincinnati,  who  was  re- 
fused credit  in  1850  for  a  stove  worth 
twelve  dollars.  He  is  now  a  director  in 
one  of  the  banks,  and  is  worth  $150,000, 
every  cent  of  which  has  been  made  in 
Cincinnati  during  that  period.  There 
is  another  business  man  on  the  same 
street,  who  was  refused  credit  in  1850, 
by  a  firm  in  the  drug  line  for  the 
amoimt  of  five  dollars ;  eight  years 
after,  the  same  firm  lent  that  very  man 
five  thousand  dollars  upon  his  endorsed 
note.  An  extensive  dealer  in  Cincin- 
nati, now  worth  $100,000,  and  who,  it 
is  said,  can  command  more  money  on 
short  notice  for  sixty,  ninety,  or  one 
hundred  and  twenty  days,  than  almost 


any  man  in  Cincinnati,  went  to  a  gro- 
cery store  in  1850  to  purchase  a  hogs- 
head of  sugar ;  it  was  sold  to  him  with 
many  misgivings  as  to  getting  the  pay 
when  it  became  due.  A  man  whose 
credit  in  1850  was  such  that  when 
trusted  by  a  clerk  for  a  keg  of  salt- 
petre, the  employer  remarked  that  it 
might  as  well  have  been  rolled  into  the 
Ohio,  was  worth,  in  1857,  $100,000, 
again  a  bankrupt  in  1860,  and  now 
worth  $20,000,  A  man,  now  good  for 
$300,000,  was  ten  years  ago  exhibiting 
a  monkey  in  the  streets  of  the  city,  for 
a  living.  Another  heavy  business  man, 
a  bank  director,  sold  apples  in  a  basket 
when  a  boy,  through  the  streets.  One 
of  the  first  merchants  in  the  place,  in 
1845,  and  who  could  at  that  time  have 
bought  entire  blocks  of  houses  on  cred- 
it, and  who  was  a  bank  director,  subse- 
quently died  intemperate  and  insolvent. 
Another,  who  in  1837  was  rated  at  half 
a  million  of  dollars,  has  since  died,  leav- 
ing his  estate  insolvent. 


Reverses  of  Mercantile  Fortune. 

The  array  of  agents,  brokers,  book- 
keepers, and  decayed  gentlemen,  who 
were  but  lately  numbered  among  the 
merchants,  bankers,  and  ship  owners 
of  New  York,  is  quite  a  moving  specta- 
cle.   Thus  A,  B ,  for  thirty  years 

connected  with  trade,  during  most  of 
which  period  he  was  a  leading  member 

of  the  great  cloth  house  of ,  has 

been  worth  $200,000,  but  is  now  a 
bookkeeper  for  a  concern  in  John 
street.  J,  S,  has  been  forty  years  in 
trade,  and  was  considered  successful 
beyond  all  liability  to  future  rLsk,  being 
for  many  years  ranked  among  the  rich 
men  of  the  street,  failed,  and  is  now 

poor,    B and  M.,  princes  in  the 

dry  goods  line,  built  two  palatial  stores 
in  Broadway,  and  have  been  immensely 
rich,  but  after  battling  honorably  with 
adverse  fortune,  failed.  J.  R ,  a  re- 
tired merchant,  estimated  at  $500,000, 
holding  at  one  time  $50,000  in  Dela- 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


169 


ware  and  Hudson  Canal  stock,  subse- 
quently got  involved  and  lost  all.  In- 
stances like  these  might  be  multiplied 
to  any  extent. 


"William  Boscoe,  the  Poet  Banker. 

After  Mr,  Roscoe  had  retired  to  pri- 
vate life,  he  was  earnestly  solicited  to 
enter  a  banking  house,  the  officers  of 
which  desired  the  attention  of  a  person 
possessed  of  a  great  business  capacity 
and  talent.  He  had  already  acted  as 
the  confidential  adviser  of  the  house 
when  in  difficulty,  and  had  rendered  it 
valuable  assistance.  Yielding  to  the 
earnest /equest  of  his  Mends,  he  became 
a  partner  in  said  house,  and  for  a  time 
devoted  himself  exclusively  to  its  con- 
cerns. Some  seven  years  after,  owing  to 
the  demands  of  the  time  and  the  scarcity 
of  specie,  the  house  was  forced  to  sus- 
pend. At  his  solicitation,  the  creditors 
of  the  firm  allowed  them  six  years  in 
which  to  discharge  their  debts.  Dur- 
ing all  this  period  Mr.  Roscoe's  labors 
were  unremitted.  To  meet  their  obli- 
gations, however,  the  private  property 
of  the  members  of  the  firm  had  to  be 
sold,  and  under  the  most  unfavorable 
circumstances.  It  was  during  this  sea- 
son of  trial,  that  Mr.  Roscoe  wrote  the 
celebrated  and  immortal  sonnet,  so  well 
known  to  all  who  read  the  English  lan- 
guage, and  so  evincive  of  his  resigna- 
tion during  trials  so  severe. 


Chinese  Merchant's  Gratitude. 

A  MERCHANT  resided  many  years, 
highly  respected,  at  Canton  and  Macao, 
when  a  sudden  reserve  of  fortune  re- 
duced him  from  a  state  of  affluence  to 
the  greatest  necessity. 

A  Chinese  merchant,  to  whom  he  had 
formerly  rendered  service,  gratefully 
ofiered  him  an  immediate  loan  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  which  the  gentleman 
accepted,  and  gave  his  bond  for  the 
amount ;  this  the  Chinese  immediately 
threw  into  the  fire,  saying,  "  When  you, 


my  friend,  first  came  to  China,  I  was  a 
poor  man.  You  took  me  by  the  hand, 
and,  assisting  my  honest  endeavors, 
made  me  rich.  Our  circumstances  are 
now  reversed — I  see  you  poor,  while  I 
have  affluence." 

The  bystanders  had  snatched  the 
bond  from  the  flames ;  and  the  mer- 
chant, sensibly  affected  by  such  gen- 
erosity, pressed  his  Chinese  friend  to 
take  the  security,  which  he  did,  and 
then  effectually  destroyed  it. 

But  the  disciple  of  Confucius,  ob- 
serving the  renewed  distress  this  act  oc- 
casioned the  merchant,  said  he  would 
accept  the  latter's  watch,  or  any  little 
valuable  as  a  memorial  of  their  friend- 
ship. The  merchant  immediately  pre- 
sented his  watch,  and  the  Chinese,  in 
return,  gave  him  an  old  iron  seal,  say- 
ing :  "  Take  this  seal — it  is  one  I  have 
long  used,  and  possesses  no  intrinsic 
value ;  but  as  you  are  going  to  India, 
to  look  after  your  outstanding  con- 
cerns, should  misfortune  further  attend 
you,  draw  upon  me  for  any  sum  of 
money  you  may  stand  in  need  of,  seal 
it  with  this  signet,  sign  it  with  your 
own  hand,  and  I  will  pay  the  money." 


Father  Taylor  and  the  Banker's  Ex- 
hortation. 

An  eminent  banker  from  the  West 
End,  Boston,  once  visited  Father  Tay- 
lor's church  during  a  warm  revival,  and 
somewhat  varied  the  usual  character  of 
the  prayer  meeting,  by  an  address  set- 
ting forth  the  beneficence  of  the  mer- 
chant princes,  the  goodness  of  the  Port 
Society,  and  above  all  the  duty  of  sea- 
men to  show  their  gratitude  to  the  mer- 
chants. He  was  somewhat  taken  aback 
when  Father  Taylor  arose,  at  the  close 
of  this  rather  presumptuous  exhorta- 
tion, and  simply  inquired,  "  Is  there 
any  other  old  sinner  from  up-town  that 
would  like  to  say  a  word  ? " 


170 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


"An  Error  in  Shippingr  the  Goods." 

Toward  the  close  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  the  owners  of  the  North 
Church  in  New  Haven,  Ct.,  sent  to  a 
Boston  merchant  for  some  nails,  to 
make  repairs  with,  when  one  of  the 
kegs  sent  in  return  for  the  order  was 
found  to  contain  Spanish  silver  dollars. 
The  deacons  wrote  to  the  merchant  in 
Boston,  that  there  was  "  an  error  in  ship- 
ping the  goods  ;"  but  he  answered  that 
the  goods  were  sold  as  he  bought  them 
of  a  privateersman,  and  "  he  couldn't 
rectify  mistakes."  So  the  silver  was 
melted  up  into  a  service  of  plate  for 
the  church,  which  is  in  use  at  the  pres- 
ent day.  Had  the  deacons  been  less 
shrewd,  and  stated  the  nature  of  the 
"  error "  to  the  merchant,  that  service 
of  plate  would  never  have  turned  up. 
As  it  was,  they  realized  the  full  benefit 
of  what  is  so  much  esteemed  in  busi- 
ness correspondence — brevity. 


Persevering-  Traders. 

An  old  bachelor  who  resided  in  Brix- 
ton, in  order  to  prevent  itinerant  trad- 
ers annoying  him  by  knocking  at  his 
door  to  dispose  of  their  wares,  affixed 
to  his  knocker  a  label  to  this  effect : 
*The  inhabitant  of  this  house  never 
buys  anything  at  the  door — Hawkers, 
beware  ! "  He  was  dreadfully  annoyed 
shortly  after  by  a  loud  knock  at  the  par- 
lor window,  from  which  he  saw  two  fel- 
lows with  clothes-lines,  mats,  and  pegs 
to  sell.  Throwing  up  the  sash  in  a 
pretty  considerable  rage,  he  accosted 
them  thus :  "  Can  you  read  ? "  "  Yes, 
master,"  answered  the  hawker.  "  Then 
don't  you  see  a  notice  affixed  to  my 
knocker,  that  I  never  buy  anything  at 
the  door  ? "  "  To  be  sure  we  do  ;  so 
we  thought  we  would  make  bold  and 
try  to  do  a  little  something  at  the  par- 
lor window."  The  fellow's  wit  pacified 
the  old  bachelor,  who  straightway  (he 
had  a  good  vein  in  him,  after  all)  made 
a   purchase.     Immediately  afterward, 


however,  he  sent  for  a  painter,  and  had 
the  following  addition  made  to  his  an- 
nouncement :  "  Nor  at  the  window 
either." 


Aptness  and  Nicety  in  Business  lUns- 
trated 

On  a  certain  Saturday  night,  the 
clerks  of  the  Bank  of  England  could 
not  make  the  balance  come  out  right 
by  just  one  hundred  pounds.  This  is  a 
serious  matter  in  that  little  establish- 
ment— not  the  cash,  but  the  mistake  in 
arithmetic ;  for  it  necessitates  a  world 
of  scrutiny.  An  error  in  the  balancing 
has  been  known  to  keep  a  delegation 
of  clerks  from  each  department  at 
work,  sometimes,  through  the  whole 
night.  A  hue  and  cry,  therefore,  was 
made  after  this  one  hundred  pounds, 
as  if  the  old  lady  in  Threadneedle  street 
would  be  in  the  Gasette,  as  an  insol- 
vent, for  want  of  it.  Luckily  on  the 
Sunday  morning  following,  the  clerk — 
in  the  middle  of  the  sermon,  perhaps, 
if  the  truth  were  known, — felt  a  suspi- 
cion of  the  truth  dart  through  his  mind 
quicker  than  any  flash  of  the  telegraph 
itself.  He  told  the  chief  cashier,  on 
Monday  morning,  that  perhaps  the  mis- 
take might  have  occurred  in  packing 
some  boxes  of  specie  for  the  West  In- 
dies which  had  been  sent  to  Southamp- 
ton for  shipment.  The  suggestion  was 
immediately  acted  upon.  Here  was  a 
race  —  lightning  against  steam,  and 
steam  with  eight  and  forty  hours  the 
start  given.  Instantly  the  wires  asked, 
"  whether  such  a  vessel  had  left  the 
harbor  ?  "  "  Just  weighing  anchor," 
was  the  reply.  "  Stop  her ! "  frantical- 
ly shouted  the  telegraph.  It  was  done. 
"  Have  up  on  deck  certain  boxes  mark- 
ed so  and  so ;  weigh  them  carefully." 
They  were  weighed  ;  and  one,  the  de- 
linquent, was  found  heavier  by  just  one 
packet  of  a  hundred  sovereigns  than  it 
ought  to  be."  "  Let  her  go,"  says  the 
mysterious  telegraph.  The  West  India 
folks  were  debited  with  just  one  hun- 
dred pounds  more,  and  the  error  was 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


171 


corrected  without  even  looking  into 
the  boxes,  or  delaying  the  voyage  an 
hour. 


XSuTopean  and  American  Modes  of 
Doing:  Business. 

The  loose  and  careless  manner  in 
which  business  is  done  in  this  country 
— at  least  in  these  latter  days  of  hurry 
and  venture — as  compared  with  the 
practice  among  European  merchants — 
was  a  subject  frequently  commented 
upon  by  the  late  John  Bromfield,  well 
known  as  one  of  the  "prince  mer- 
chants" of  Boston.  In  his  familiar 
style,  Mr.  Bromfield  used  to  say, 
"  Here,  if  a  purchaser  is  about  to  buy 
a  cargo  of  box  sugars,  he  will  bore  into 
one  box,  look  at  a  second,  kick  a  third 
— and  take  the  lot ;  but  in  Europe,  they 
thrust  an  iron  searcher  through  and 
through  every  box,  and  carefully  exam- 
ine every  layer." 


Uindins  One's  Own  Business. 

"  DuRiNQ  my  long  commercial  expe- 
rience," says  Girard,  "  I  have  noticed 
that  no  advantage  results  from  telling 
one's  business  to  others,  except  to  create 
jealousy  or  competitors  when  we  are 
fortunate,  and  to  gratify  our  enemies 
when  otherwise."  He  was  never  known 
to  disregard  this  theory  in  all  his  pro- 
tracted career  as  one  of  the  greatest  and 
most  successful  of  merchants. 

Hon.  Peter  C.  Brooks,  of  Boston,  who 
left  one  of  the  largest  fortunes  ever 
amassed  in  this  country,  on  being  asked 
what  rule  he  would  recommend  to  a 
young  man  as  most  likely  to  ensure  suc- 
cess, answered:  "Let  him  mind  his 
own  business;"  and  to  a  similar  in- 
quiry, it  has  been  said  that  Robert 
Lenox,  of  New  York,  well  remembered 
as  one  of  the  most  distinguished  mer- 
chants ever  known  in  that  great  city, 
and  for  his  wide  hospitality,  once  an- 
swered :  "  Let  him  be  beforehand  with 
his  business."  One  answer  seems  to  in- 
clude the  other,  as  no  man  can  be  &e- 


forehand  with  his  business,  unless  he 
minds  it  unremittingly,  instead  of  spend- 
ing his  time  and  wits  in  looking  after 
others. 


John  Jacob  Aster's  "  Highway  to  For- 
tune." 

"  It's  what  thee'U  spend,  my  son," 
said  a  sage  old  Quaker,  "not  what 
thee'll  make,  which  will  decide  whether 
thee's  to  be  rich  or  not," — Franklin's 
advice,  only  in  another  shape,  "  Take 
care  of  the  pennies,  and  the  pounds 
will  take  care  of  themselves." 

John  Jacob  Astor  used  to  say,  that 
a  man  who  wishes  to  be  rich  and  has 
saved  ten  thousand  dollars,  has  won 
half  the  battle — is  on  the  highway  to 
fortune.  Not  that  Astor  thought  ten 
thousand  much.  But  he  knew  that  in 
making  and  saving  such  a  sum,  a  man 
acquired  habits  of  prudent  economy, 
which  would  constantly  keep  him  ad- 
vancing in  wealth.  The  habitual  small 
expenses,  which  are  designated  as 
"  only  a  trifle,"  amount,  in  the  aggre- 
gate, like  the  sands  of  the  shore,  to 
something  pretty  serious.  Ten  cents  a 
day,  even,  is  thirty-six  dollars  and  a 
half  a  year,  and  that  is  the  interest  on 
a  capital  of  six  hundred  dollars;  so 
that  the  man  who  saves  ten  cents  a  day 
only,  is  so  much  richer  than  him  who 
does  not,  as  if  he  owned  a  life  estate  in 
a  property  worth  six  hundred  doUars. 

Gideon  I^ee  carrying:  the  Lapstone. 

In  the  year  1834,  the  memorable 
panic  year,  5  report  was  put  in  circula- 
tion among  the  New  York  business 
men,  that  the  house  of  Gideon  Lee, 
long  so  eminent  and  stable,  had  failed. 
In  allusion  to  the  report,  Mr.  Lee  re- 
marked :  "  I  commenced  business,  when 
poor,  on  credit ;  I  thrived  by  credit ; 
and  I  hold  it  to  be  my  duty  to  sacrifice 
my  property  down  to  twenty  shillings 
in  the  pound,  before  that  credit  shall 
be  dishonored.  /  have  carried  the  lap- 
stone,  and  I  can  do  it  again ;  but  I  will 


172 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


never  suffer  a  promise  of  mine  to  be 
broken,  -while  I  have  a  shilling  left  that 
I  can  call  my  own." 


TJstirious  Interest  on  Money— Peter  C. 
Brooks's  Bule. 

One  of  the  undeviating  principles 
upon  which  Peter  C.  Brooks  conducted 
his  great  business  was  that  of  never, 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  taking 
more  than  legal  interest.  Had  he  been 
willing  to  violate  this  rule,  and  that  in 
modes  not  condemned  by  the  letter  of 
the  law,  nor  by  public  opinion,  he 
might  easily  have  doubled  his  fortune. 
But  many  considerations  led  him  to 
adopt  and  adhere  to  his  rule  on  this 
subject.  It  was  contrary  to  law  to 
take  more  than  legal  interest,  and  he 
held  it  to  be  eminently  dangerous  to 
tamper  with  the  duty  of  a  good  citizen, 
and  break  the  law,  because  he  might 
think  the  thing  forbidden  not  morally 
wrong.  This  consideration  was  entire- 
ly irrespective  of  the  fact,  that  at  one 
period,  by  the  law  of  Massachusetts,  the 
contract  was  wholly  violated  by  the 
demand  of  usurious  interest,  and  the 
creditor  placed  in  the  debtor's  power. 
But  after  the  mitigation  of  the  law  in 
this  respect,  Mr.  Brooks's  .practice  re- 
mained unaltered.  He  believed  and 
often  said,  that,  in  the  long  run,  six  per 
cent,  is  as  much  as  the  bare  use  of 
money  is  worth  in  this  country  ;  that  to 
demand  more  was  for  the  capitalist  to 
claim  the  benefit  of  the  borrower's  skill 
in  some  particular  business,  or  of  his 
courage  and  energy ;  or  else  it  was  to 
take  advantage  of  his  neighbor's  need. 
He  frequently  said  that  he  would  never 
put  it  in  the  power  of  any  one,  in  a  re- 
verse of  fortune,  to  ascribe  his  ruin  to 
the  payment  of  usurious  interest  to 
him.  On  more  than  one  occasion, 
when  some  beneficial  public  oliject  was 
to  be  promoted,  he  lent  large  sums  at 
an  interest  below  the  legal  and  current 
rate. 


Benevolence  of  Shai-king-qua,  a  Chi- 
nese Merchant. 

An  interesting  instance  of  generosity 
is  given  of  a  Chinese  merchant,  of  the 
name  of  Shai-king-qua,  who  had  long 
known  a  Mr.  Anderson,  an  English 
trader,  and  had  large  business  transac- 
tions with  him.  It  appears  that  Mr. 
Anderson  met  with  heavy  losses,  be- 
came insolvent,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
failure  owed  his  Chinese  friend  upward 
of  eighty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  A. 
wished  to  go  to  England,  in  the  hope 
of  being  able  to  retrieve  his  affairs  ;  he 
called  on  the  Hong  merchant,  and  in 
the  utmost  distress,  explained  his  situa- 
tion, his  wishes,  and  his  plans.  The 
Chinese  listened  with  anxious  atten- 
tion, and  having  heard  his  story,  thus 
addressed  him : 

"  My  friend  Anderson,  you  have  been 
very  unfortunate  ;  you  lose  all — I  very 
sorry ;  you  go  to  England ;  if  you  more 
fortunate  there,  you  come  back  and 
pay  ;  but  that  you  no  forget  Chinaman 
friend,  you  take  this,  and  when  you 
look  on  this,  you  will  remember  Shai- 
king-qua."  In  saying  these  words,  he 
pulled  out  a  valuable  gold  watch,  and 
gave  it  to  Anderson. 

Mr.  Anderson  took  leave  of  his 
friend,  but  he  did  not  live  to  retrieve 
his  affairs,  or  to  return  to  China. 
When  the  account  of  his  death,  and 
of  the  distress  in  which  he  had  left  his 
family,  reached  Canton,  the  Hong  mer- 
chant called  on  one  of  the  merchants 
of  the  factory  who  was  about  to  return 
to  Europe,  and  addressed  him  in  the 
following  manner  :  "  Poor  Mr.  Ander- 
son dead !  I  very  sorry ;  he  good 
man ;  he  friend,  and  he  leave  two 
childs ;  they  poor — they  have  nothing 
— they  childs  of  my  friend ;  you  take 
this  for  them;  tell  them  Chinaman 
friend  send  it  I "  And  he  put  into  the 
returning  merchant's  hands  several 
thousand  dollars  for  Mr.  A.'s  children. 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


173 


Money-gettine:  Tact  of  Jews. 
That  the  Jews  are  more  successful 
in  money-getting  than  any  other  people 
is  a  generally  admitted  fact.  "  As  rich 
as  a  Jew,"  is  a  proverb.  How  to  ac- 
count for  it — to  what  cause  to  ascribe 
it — has  long  been  a  puzzle.  If  the  fol- 
lowing be  matter-of-fact,  instead  of  ro- 
mancing, it  may  be  considered  a  partial 
solution  of  the  puzzle :  "  The  politest 
people  in  the  world  are  not  the  French, 
the  English,  the  American,  the  Italian, 
nor  the  German,  but  the  Jewish.  For 
the  Jews  are  maltreated,  and  reviled, 
and  despoiled  of  their  civil  privileges, 
and  their  social  rights ;  yet  are  they 
everywhere  polite,  affable,  insinuating, 
and  condescending.  They  are  remark- 
able for  their  industry  and  persever- 
ance ;  indulge  in  few  or  no  recrimina- 
tions ;  are  faithful  to  old  associations ; 
more  respectful  of  the  prejudices  of 
others  than  those  are  of  theirs;  not 
more  worldly-minded  and  money-lov- 
ing than  people  generally  are;  and, 
everything  considered,  they  surpass  all 
nations  in  courtesy,  aflfability,  and  for- 
bearance. Few  persons  excel  in  ad- 
dress a  bright  and  polished  Jew. 
There  is  no  rusticity  among  that  peo- 
ple." Whether  this  representation  be 
correct  or  not,  we  scaEcely  know,  as  the 
majority  of  the  reputed  Jews  in  this 
country,  especially  those  in  the  cloth- 
ing trade,  are  a  mongrel  race.  But  it 
is  certain  that  much  of  business  success 
depends  on  courtesy. 


Sole  Qualification  of  a  Bill  Broker. 

An  ancient  writer  on  money  aflFairs 
compressed  a  good  deal  of  shrewd 
truth  in  his  brief  description  of  what 
a  bill  broker  should  be :  A  bill  broker 
ought  to  be  a  man  of  honor,  and  know 
bis  business ;  he  should  avoid  babbling, 
and  be  prudent  in  his  oflBce,  which  con- 
sists in  one  sole  point — to  hear  all  and 
say  nothing  ;  so  that  he  ought  never  to 
speak  of  the  negotiations  transacted  by 
means  of  his  intervention. 


Peculiar  Feature  in  Rothschild's  Busi- 
ness  Character. 

Rothschild's  management  of  the 
business  of  exchanges  was  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  features  in  his  char- 
acter. He  never  hesitated  for  a  moment 
in  fixing  a  rate  either  as  a  drawer  or  pur- 
chaser of  a  foreign  bill  of  exchange  on 
any  part  of  the  world ;  and  his  memory 
was  so  retentive,  that,  notwithstanding 
the  multifarious  and  immense  transac- 
tions into  which  he  entered  on  every 
foreign  post-day  on  the  Exchange,  he 
never  took  a  memorandum  of  them, 
but,  on  his  return  to  his  office,  could 
dictate  to  his  clerks  the  whole  of  the 
bargains  be  had  made,  with  the  various 
rates  of  exchange,  and  the  names  of  the 
several  parties  with  whom  he  had  dealt, 
with  the  most  perfect  exactness. 


Commercial  Fortune  of  a  Peer. 

One  of  the  most  popular  members 
of  the  British  House  of  Lords  is  said  to 
have  purchased  his  peerage  with  a  mil- 
lion of  dollars  in  gold.  One  of  the 
methods  by  which  that  mercantile 
house,  of  which  he  was  the  leading 
member,  amassed  the  large  fortune 
which  they  now  enjoy,  was  this  :  they 
saw  that  the  stock  of  a  certain  article, 
necessary  for  culinary  purposes,  was 
becoming  scarce,  and  that  the  supply 
would  be  limited  ;  they  forthwith  sent 
orders  and  agents  to  buy  up  that  parti- 
cular article,  and  thus  swept  the  mar- 
ket. The  demand  for  the  article  in- 
creased— as  is  usual— in  proportion  to 
its  scarcity,  the  rice  went  up,  and  the 
house  cleared  within  one  week,  at  the 
expense  of  tens  of  thousands  of  con- 
sumers in  very  humble  circumstances, 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 


Half-a-MUlion  Profit  by  One  of  Qi- 
rard's  Operations. 

In  the  year  1813,  an  interesting  cir- 
cumstance occurred  in  the  business 
operations  of  Girard,  through  his  bank, 
by  which  he  accomplished  an  enter- 


174 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


prise  of  great  importance  to  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  by  the  increase  of  its 
trade,  as  well  as  to  his  own  funds  in 
its  profits,  besides  the  advantages  which 
were  furnished  to  the  Government  by 
the  duties  which  accrued  to  the  nation- 
al treasury.  It  happened  that  his  ship, 
the  Montesquieu,  was  captured  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Delaware  river,  as  was 
alleged,  by  a  British  frigate,  and  as 
this  vessel  had  an  invoice  cargo  of  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars — consisting 
of  teas,  nankeens  and  silks — from  Can- 
ton, it  was  determined  by  the  captors, 
in  preference  to  the  hazard  of  being  re- 
captured by  an  American  ship  in  any 
attempt  to  carry  their  prize  to  a  British 
port,  to  send  a  flag  of  truce  to  Mr.  Gi- 
rard,  in  order  to  give  him  the  offer  of  a 
ransom.  Applying  to  his  well-stored 
vaults,  the  banker  drew  from  them  the 
sum  of  ninety-three  thousand  dollars  in 
doubloons,  which  was  transmitted  to 
the  British  commander,  and  his  vessel 
was  soon  seen  coming  into  port  with 
her  rich  cargo, — and  which,  notwith- 
standing the  price  of  the  ransom,  is 
supposed,  by  the  advanced  value  of 
every  article  on  board,  to  have  added 
a  half  a  million  of  dollars  to  his  for- 
tune. 


American  Merchants  of  the  Olden  Time 
—Joseph  Peabody. 

Joseph  Peabody,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  a 
name  known  wherever  American  com- 
mercial enterprise  has  been  heard  of, 
built  and  owned  eighty-three  ships, 
which,  in  every  instance,  he  freighted 
himself;  and  for  the  navigation  of 
which  he  shipped,  at  different  times, 
upward  of  seren  thousand  seamen.  From 
the  year  1811,  he  had  advanced  thirty- 
five  to  the  rank  of  shipmaster,  who  en- 
tered his  employ  as  boys.  He  had  per- 
formed by  these  vessels  the  following 
voyages,  viz. :  to  Calcutta,  thirty-eight ; 
Canton,  seventeen;  Sumatra,  thirty- 
two  ;  St.  Petersburg,  forty-seven ; 
other  ports  in  the  north  of  Europe, 
ten ;  the  Mediterranean,  twenty,  before 


the  war  of  1812.  The  voyages  per- 
formed by  his  vessels  to  the  West  In- 
dies, Spanish  Main,  and  along  our  wide 
extended  coast,  are  unnumbered.  The 
aggregate  of  his  annual  state,  county, 
and  city  taxes  paid  into  the  treasury, 
amounted  to  about  two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars.  A  business  of  such  vast 
magnitude  and  enterprise  has  rarely, 
for  so  long  a  period,  been  conducted  by 
the  energy  and  industry  of  an  indi- 
vidual. 


Gresham's  Fortunate  Letter. 

Thomas  Gresham,  as  is  recorded  in 
history,  was  one  of  the  first  English 
merchants  that  traded  to  the  East 
Indies;  and,  having  fitted  out  several 
ships,  he  miscalculated  the  time  at 
which  they  would  return — a  circum- 
stance that  caused  him  much  embar- 
rassment. He,  however,  soon  recovered 
from  this  temporary  disquietude.  One 
day,  while  despondingly  walking  about 
the  Bourse,  or  Exchange,  which  then 
had  its  location  in  Lombard  street,  a 
sailor  came  up  and  presented  him  with 
a  letter  from  the  captain  of  one  of  his 
ships,  which  contained  the  gratifying 
information  that  two  of  his  ships  had 
arrived  safe  from  the  East  Indies ;  and 
that  the  box,  which  the  bearer  would 
deliver,  contained  some  diamonds  and 
pearls  of  great  value,  as  a  sample  of  the 
immense  riches  the  ships  had  brought 
home.  This  peculiar  and  somewhat 
romantic  incident  is  said  to  be  an  ex- 
planation of  the  statue  of  Gresham,  in 
the  old  Royal  Exchange  of  London, 
which  represents  him  as  holding  an 
open  letter  in  his  hand. 


Private  Mercantile  Finances  and 
Boyal  Fleets. 

A  SINGLE  merchant  secured  Queen 

Elizabeth  against  all  the  danger  with 

which  she  was  threatened  by  the  soi- 

diaant   invincible    armada    of    Spain. 

When  the  queen  was  apprised  of  the 

designs  of  Spain,  she  had  no  ships  ca- 


^l!;^iii&1!iil[!!.il'^i^;^V^^^^^^ 


8IE  THOMAS  GRESIIAM'S   FORTUNATE   LETTER, 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


176 


pable  of  being  opposed  to  the  Spanish 
fleet;  as  a  part  of  those  which  were 
lying  in  the  ports  and  docks  could  only 
be  used  after  twelve  months.  Mr. 
Thomas  Sutton,  however,  the  distin- 
guished merchant  who  founded  the 
Charter  House,  being  well  acquainted 
with  the  state  of  the  French  finances, 
knew  that  the  Spanish  fleet  could  not 
set  sail,  but  through  the  medium  of  bills 
which  were  to  be  drawn  upon  the  Ge- 
noese Bank.  He  therefore  conceived 
the  idea  of  buying  up  all  the  paper  or 
bills  that  could  be  met  with  in  every 
commercial  town  in  Europe,  and  to 
deposit  them  in  the  Bank  of  Genoa, 
that  by  his  large  remittances  he  might 
have  that  bank  so  in  his  power,  as  to 
incapacitate  it,  whenever  he  chose,  from 
giving  any  aid  to  the  Spaniards.  Being 
well  aware  that  it  only  required  to  let 
those  remittances  remain  at  Genoa,  un- 
til the  season  should  obstruct  the  sail- 
ing of  the  fleet,  he  calculated  that  these 
exchange  operations  would  cost  about 
,forty  thousand  pounds  sterling,  and  he 
proposed  to  the  queen  to  extricate  her 
at  this  price  from  the  dilemma.  The 
proposal  was  accepted,  and  carried  into 
effect  with  so  much  secresy,  that  Phil- 
ip's hands  were  tied,  and  he  could  not 
send  out  the  fleet  until  the  following 
year. 


Portuguese  Pilgrrim  in  the  Streets  of 
Venice. 

Ox  a  morning  of  summer,  in  the  year 
1498,  a  poor  Portuguese  pilgrim,  clothed 
in  rags,  and  who  had  wandered  on  foot 
from  his  native  hills,  appeared  in  the 
streets  of  Venice,  and  announced  to  its 
citizens  that  one  of  those  daring  naviga- 
tors sent  out  by  his  king,  had  doubled 
the  Cape  of  Storms,  and  discovered  a  new 
route  to  India.  He  was  surrounded  and 
eagerly  questioned  by  a  throng  of  prin- 
ces, merchants,  and  artizans.  His  an- 
swers struck  terror  in  every  heart.  They 
saw  at  once  that  the  partition  wall  of 
their  commercial  monopoly  was  broken 
down ;  they  saw  the  lucrative  trade  of 


the  east  transferred  from  the  Lagoon  to 
Lisbon  and  the  Tagus ;  they  saw  that 
the  rich  merchandise  which  they  gath- 
ered and  dispersed  throughout  Europe, 
was  destined  to  pass  through  other 
hands ;  they  saw  their  ships  rotting  in 
their  docks,  and  their  sailors  wander- 
ing idly  about  the  streets ;  they  heard 
the  last  motion  of  those  looms  which 
had  produced  the  choice  silken  and 
woollen  fabrics  in  which  the  nobles 
of  Europe  clothed  themselves  ;  in  a 
word,  they  rightly  fancied  they  saw 
the  destruction  of  that  commerce 
whence  came  all  their  wealth,  their 
luxury,  and  their  pride ;  that  com- 
merce which  had  sent  forth  with  the 
third  army  of  the  Crusaders,  two  hun- 
dred ships,  and  with  the  fourth,  five 
hundred ;  that  commerce  whose  migh- 
ty pulsations  had  been  felt  at  the  far- 
thest extremities  of  the  earth.  Here 
was  the  remote,  but  the  chief  cause  of 
the  Commercial  Fall  of  Venice  I 


Shopkeepers  and  Warriors. 

When  Napoleon  applied  to  England 
the  contemptuous  epithet  of  a  "  nation 
of  shopkeepers,"  he  paid  her  a  higher 
compliment  than  he  intended ;  it  was 
an  unintentional  tribute  to  the  power 
she  had  acquired  by  trade,  an  extorted 
homage  to  that  commercial  policy  by 
which  her  merchants  had  become  the 
arbiters  of  Europe— of  those  elements 
of  strength  which  the  shopkeepers  of 
the  Royal  Exchange  and  Threadneedle 
street  had  furnished  to  her  rulers,  by 
which  she  alone  was  enabled  to  pre- 
scribe boundaries  to  the  ambition  of 
the  great  Captain,  and  say  to  the  migh- 
ty wave  of  Gallic  usurpation,  "  Thus 
far  shalt  thou  go,  and  no  farther." 
Military  prowess  was  held  in  check  by 
mercantile  combinations,  and  the  shop- 
keepers proved  an  overmatch  for  the 
warrior. 


176 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Uurdered  Merchant  Watched  by  his 
Doer. 

An  account,  well  attested,  is  related 
of  two  French  merchants,  who  were 
travelling  to  a  fair,  and,  while  passing 
through  a  wood,  one  of  them  murdered 
the  other,  and  robbed  him  of  his  money. 
After  burying  him,  so  as  to  prevent  dis- 
covery, he  proceeded  on  his  journey. 
The  dog  of  the  person  remained,  how- 
ever, by  the  grave  of  his  master ;  and, 
by  his  long  and  continued  howling, 
attracted  the  notice  of  several  persons 
in  the  neighborhood,  who,  by  this 
means,  discovered  the  murder.  The 
fair  being  ended,  they  watched  the  re- 
turn of  the  merchant.  The  murderer 
no  sooner  appeared  in  view,  than  the 
dog  sprung  furiously  upon  him.  He 
was  apprehended,  confessed  the  crime, 
and  was  executed.  The  kindness  of 
the  merchant  had  secured  even  the  at- 
tachment of  his  dog  to  such  a  degree, 
that  not  even  death  could  sunder  the 
noble  animal  from  the  loved  form  of 
his  master. 


A^ed  Merchant  Saved  from.  Bobbery 
by  the  Weather. 

An  aged  merchant  was  one  day  re- 
turning from  market.  He  was  on 
horseback,  and  behind  him  was  a  valise 
filled  with  money.  The  rain  began  to 
fall  with  violence,  and  the  good  old 
man  was  soon  wet  to  his  skin.  At  this 
he  was  vexed,  and  indulged  in  some 
pretty  audible  murmurings  that  the 
weather  should  prove  so  bad  while  he 
was  journeying. 

He  soon  reached  the  borders  of  a 
thick  forest.  What  was  his  terror  on 
beholding,  on  one  side  of  the  road,  a 
robber,  with  leveled  gun,  aiming  at 
Tiim  and  attempting  to  fire  !  But  the 
powder  being  wet  by  the  rain,  the  gun 
did  not  go  off,  and  the  merchant,  giv- 
ing spurs  to  his  horse,  fortunately  had 
time  to  escape. 

As  soon  as  he  found  himself  safe,  he 
said  to  himself,  "  How  wrong  was  I, 
not  to  endure  the  rain  patiently,  as  sent 


by  Providence.  If  the  weather  had 
been  dry  and  fair,  I  should  not,  proba- 
bly, have  been  alive  at  this  hour,  and 
my  children  would  have  expected  my 
return  in  vain.  The  rain  which  caused 
me  to  murmur,  came  at  a  fortunate  mo- 
ment to  save  my  life  and  preserve  my 
property."  It  is  almost  needless  to 
add,  that  thereafter  the  good  merchant 
made  the  best  of  the  weather,  which- 
ever way  it  turned  up,  indorsing  with 
a  good  will  the  old  adage,  that  it  is  an 
ill  wind  indeed  that  blows  no  good  to 
some  one. 


Enerlish  Merchant  and  Spanish  Begrerar. 
It  is  related  that  an  English  mer- 
chant in  the  neighborhood  of  Madrid, 
having  no  money  in  his  pocket,  gener- 
ously gave  a  handful  of  choice  cigars 
to  a  beggar  who  approached,  him  :  the 
poorest  Spaniard  wUl  be  more  gratified 
with  a  cigar  than  with  money,  so  far  as 
his  personal  feelings  are  concerned,  as 
it  is  a  compliment.  Three  years  after- 
ward, this  merchant  was  seized  near  his 
country  house  by  a  band  of  robbers. 
While  they  were  settling  his  ransom 
they  were  joined  by  an  absent  comrade, 
who  instantly  dismounted,  and,  ap- 
proaching the  Englishman,  whom  he 
had  at  once  recognized,  saluted  him, 
and  asked  if  he  did  not  remember  hav- 
ing given,  at  such  a  place  and  time,  a 
handful  of  cigars  to  a  beggar;  then, 
turning  to  his  comrades,  he  said,  "  This 
is  my  benefactor — whoever  lays  a  hand 
on  him  lays  it  on  me." 


Oood  Word  for  Girard. 

One  of  the  most  ingenious  and  plau- 
sible estimates  of  Mr.  Girard's  character 
as  a  business  man — and  the  most  favor- 
able— which  has  ever  appeared,  is  that 
uttered  by  Mr.  Everett:  He  told  me 
himself  (says  Mr.  E.),  that  at  the  age 
of  forty,  his  circumstances  were  so  nar- 
row, that  he  was  employed  as  the  com- 
mander of  his  own  sloop,  engaged  in 
the  coasting  trade  between  New  York 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSDIESS  QUALITIES, 


177 


or  PhiladelpMa  and  New  Orleans; 
adding  that  on  a  certain  occasion  he 
was  forty-five  days  in  working  his  way 
up  from  the  Balize  to  the  city.  Few 
persons  enjoyed  less  personal  popularity 
in  the  commifnity  in  which  he  lived, 
and  to  which  he  bequeathed  his  prince- 
ly fortune.  If  this  proceeded  from  de- 
fects of  personal  character,  it  is  a  topic 
to  be  discussed  only  in  its  proper  place. 
Of  the  effect  upon  the  public  welfare  of 
the  community  of  such  a  fortune  in 
one's  hands,  freedom  of  speech  may  of 
course  be  indulged  in.  WhUe  I  am  far 
from  saying  that  it  might  not  have 
been  abused  by  being  made  the  instru- 
ment of  a  corrupt  and  dangerous  influ- 
ence in  the  community,  I  have  never 
heard  that  it  was  so  abused  by  Mr. 
Girard ;  and,  on  general  principles,  it 
may  perhaps  be  safely  said,  that  the 
class  of  men  qualified  to  amass  large 
fortunes  by  perseverance  and  exclusive 
dedication  to  business,  by  frugality  and 
thrift,  are  not  at  all  likely  to  apply  this 
wealth  to  ambitious  or  corrupt  designs. 
As  to  the  effect  in  all  other  points  of 
view,  I  confess  I  see  nothing  but  public 
benefit  in  such  capital,  managed  with 
imrelaxing  economy ;  one-half  judi- 
ciously employed  by  the  proprietor 
himself  in  commerce — the  other  half 
loaned  to  the  business  community. 
What  better  use  could  have  been  made 
of  it  ?  Will  it  be  said,  divide  it  equal- 
ly among  the  community ;  give  each 
individual  in  the  United  States  a 
Share?  It  would  have  amounted  to 
half  a  dollar  each  for  man,  woman,  and 
child;  and,  of  course,  might  as  well 
have  been  sunk  in  the  middle  of  the 
sea.  Such  a  distribution  would  have 
been  another  name  for  annihilation. 
How  many  ships  would  have  furled 
their  sails,  how  many  warehouses  would 
have  closed  their  shutters,  how  many 
wheels,  heavily  laden  with  the  products 
of  industry,  would  have  stood  stiU,  how 
many  families  would  have  been  reduced 
to  want,  and  without  any  advantage 
resulting  from  distribution  ? 
12 


In  a  country  like  this,  where  the  laws 
forbid  hereditary  transmission,  and  en- 
courage equality  of  fortune,  accumula- 
tions of  capital,  made  by  industry,  en- 
terprise, and  prudence,  and  employed 
in  active  investments,  without  minis- 
tering to  extravagance  and  luxury,  are 
beneficial  to  the  public.  Their  posses- 
sor becomes,  whether  he  wills  it  or  not, 
the  steward  of  others ;  not  merely,  as 
in  Mr.  Girard's  case,  because  he  may 
destine  a  colossal  fortune  after  his  de- 
cease for  public  objects,  but  because, 
while  he  lives,  every  dollar  of  it  must 
be  employed  in  giving  life  to  industry 
and  employment  to  labor. 

Had  Mr.  Girard  lived  in  a  fashion- 
able part  of  the  city,  in  a  magnificent 
house;  had  he  dazzled  the  passer-by 
with  his  splendid  equipages,  and  spread 
a  sumptuous  table  for  his  "dear  five 
hundred  friends,"  he  would  no  doubt 
have  been  a  more  popular  man.  But 
in  my  apprehension  he  appears  to  far 
greater  advantage,  as  a  citizen  and  a 
patriot,  in  his  modest  dwelling  and 
plain  garb ;  appropriating  to  his  per- 
sonal wants  the  smallest  pittance  from 
his  princely  income ;  living  to  the  last 
in  the  dark  and  narrow  street  in  which 
he  made  his  fortune,  and,  when  he  died, 
bequeathing  it  for  the  education  of  or- 
phan children.  For  the  public,  I  do 
not  know  that  he  could  have  done  bet- 
ter :  of  aU  men  in  the  world,  he  proba- 
bly derived  the  least  enjoyment  from 
his  property  himself. 


The  Banker's  Seven-Shilling'  Piece. 

It  was  during  one  of  the  great  na- 
tional panics,  that  a  gentleman — who 
may  be  called  Mr.  Thompson — was 
seated,  with  something  of  a  melancholy 
look,  in  his  dreary  back  room,  watch- 
ing his  clerks  pay  away  thousands  of 
pounds  hourly.  Thompson  was  a  bank- 
er of  excellent  credit— there  existed, 
perhaps,  in  the  city  of  London,  no  safer 
concern  than  that  of  Messrs.  Thomp- 
son &  Co. ;  but  at  a  moment  like  the 


178 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


one  referred  to,  no  rational  reflection 
was  admitted,  no  fonner  stability  was 
looked  to.  A  general  distrust  was  felt, 
and  every  one  rushed  to  his  banker's  to 
withdraw  his  hoard,  fearing  that  the 
next  instant  would  be  too  late — forget- 
ting entirely  that  this  step  was  that  of 
all  others  most  likely  to  insure  the  ruin 
that  was  sought  to  be  avoided.  The 
wealthy  citizen  named  sat  gloomily 
watching  the  outpouring  of  his  gold, 
and  with  a  grim  smile  listening  to  the 
clamorous  demands  on  his  cashier; 
for  although  he  felt  perfectly  easy  and 
secure  as  to  the  ultimate  strength  of  his 
resources,  yet  he  could  not  altogether 
suppress  a  feeling  of  bitterness  as  he 
saw  constituent  after  constituent  rush 
in,  and  those  whom  he  fondly  imagined 
to  be  his  dearest  friends  eagerly  assist- 
ing in  the  run  upon  his  strong  box. 

Presently  the  door  opened,  and  a 
stranger  was  ushered  in,  who,  after  gaz- 
ing for  a  moment  at  the  bewildered 
banker,  coolly  drew  a  chair,  and  ab- 
ruptly addressed  him : 

"  You  will  pardon  me,  sir,  for  asking 
a  strange  question,  but  I  am  a  plain 
man,  and  like  to  come  straight  to  the 
point." 

"  Well,  sir,"  impatiently  interrupted 
the  other, 

"  I  have  heard  that  you  have  a  run 
on  your  bank,  sir." 

"Well?" 

« Is  it— true?" 

"  Really,  sir,  I  must  decline  to  reply 
to  your  most  extraordinary  query.  If, 
however,  you  have  any  money  in  the 
bank,  you  had  better  at  once  draw  it 
out,  and  so  satisfy  yourself;  our  cashier 
will  instantly  pay  you," — and  the  bank- 
er rose,  as  a  hint  to  the  stranger  to 
withdraw. 

"  Far  from  it,  sir ;  I  have  not  one 
sixpence  in  your  hands." 

"  Then  may  I  ask  what  is  your  busi- 
ness here  ? " 

"I  wish  to  know  if  a  small  sum 
would  aid  you  at  this  moment  ?  " 

"  Why  do  you  ask  the  question  ? " 


"  Because  if  it  would,  I  would  gladly 
pay  in  a  small  deposit." 

The  money  dealer  started. 

"  You  seem  surprised ;  you  don't 
know  my  person  or  my  motive.  I'll  at 
once  explain.  Do  you  recollect  some 
twenty  years  ago  when  you  resided  in 
Essex  ? " 

"  Perfectly." 

"  Well,  then,  sir,  perhaps  you  have 
not  forgotten  the  turnpike  gate  through 
which  you  passed  daily?  My  father 
kept  that  gate,  and  was  often  honored 
by  a  few  minutes'  talk  with  you.  One 
Christmas  morning,  my  father  was  sick, 
and  I  attended  the  toll  bar.  On  that 
day  you  passed  through,  and  I  opened 
the  gate  for  you.  Do  you  recollect  it, 
sir?" 

"  Not  I,  my  friend." 

"No,  sir;  few  such  men  remember 
their  kind  deeds,  but  those  who  are 
benefited  by  them  ought  not  to  forget 
them.  I  am  perhaps  prolix;  listen, 
however,  only  a  few  moments,  and  I 
have  done." 

The  great  banker  had  become  inter- 
ested, and  at  once  assented. 

"  Well,  sir,  as  I  said  before,  I  threw 
open  the  gate  for  you,  as  I  considered 
myself  in  duty  bound — I  wished  you 
'  a  happy  Christmas.'  '  Thank  you,  my 
lad,'  replied  you — '  thank  you ;  and  the 
same  to  you ;  here  is  a  trifle  to  make  it 
so,"  and  you  threw  me  a  seven-shilliTig 
piece.  It  was  the  first  money  I  ever 
possessed,  and  never  shall  I  forget  my 
joy  at  receiving  it,  nor  your  kind  smile 
in  bestowing  it.  I  long  treasured  it, 
and  as  I  grew  up,  added  a  little  to  it, 
till  I  was  able  to  rent  a  toll  myself. 
You  left  that  part  of  the  country,  and  I 
lost  sight  of  you.  Yearly,  however,  I 
have  been  getting  on;  your  present 
brought  good  fortune  with  it ;  I  am 
now  comparatively  rich,  and  to  you  I 
consider  that  I  owe  all.  So  this  morn- 
ing, hearing  accidentally  that  there  was 
a  run  on  your  bank,  I  gathered  all  my 
capital,  and  brought  it  to  lodge  with 
you,  in  case  it  can  be  of  any  use ;  here 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


179 


it  is — ^"  and  lie  handed  a  bundle  of 
bank  notes  to  the  agitated  Thompson ; 
"in  a  few  days  I  will  call  again." 
Snatching  up  his  hat,  and  throwing 
down  his  card,  he  walked  out  of  the 
room. 

Thompson  imdid  the  roll — it  con- 
tained thirty  thousand  pounds !  The 
stem-hearted  banker — for  all  bankers 
must  be  stem — burst  into  tears.  The 
firm  did  not  require  this  prop  ;  but  the 
motive  was  so  noble,  that  even  a  mil- 
lionnaire  sobbed ;  he  could  not  help  it. 
This  house  is  still  one  of  the  first  in 
London. 

The  thirty  thousand  pounds  of  the 
turnpike  boy  has  now  grown  into  some 
two  hundred  thousand  pounds.  For- 
tune has  well  disposed  of  her  gifts. 


Commencing  with  Three  Tobacco 
Boxes— Jacob  Barker. 

Jacob  Barker's  disposition  for  com- 
mercial pursuits  manifested  itself  at  a 
very  early  period — ^his  first  essay  in  this 
line  being  with  three  tobacco  boxes. 
The  history  of  the  tobacco  boxes  was 
this :  Mr.  Barker  was,  as  a  relaxation 
from  the  fatigues  of  attending  store  and 
other  matters  for  his  brother  James, 
permitted  to  go  as  cabin  boy  in  his 
packet  to  New  York  and  Boston  two 
or  three  times  a  year.  On  one  occa- 
sion, the  passengers  presented  him  with 
thirty-one  cents.  This  he  invested  in 
Boston  in  three  iron  tobacco  boxes,  and 
took  them  to  Nantucket,  where  he  sold 
two  of  them  for  a  penny  apiece  profit ; 
the  other  got  a  little  rasty,  and  was 
sold  at  first  cost.  When  at  Nantucket, 
forty  years  after  this,  he  met  a  poor  old 
man  hobbling  along  with  the  aid  of  a 
staff",  who  abmptly  observed,  "  Jacob, 
will-  you  take  a  piece  of  tobacco  ? "  at 
the  same  time  presenting  the  box. 
Jacob  replied,  "  No,  I  thank  you,  I  do 
not  use  tobacco  in  that  way," — when 
the  old  man  said,  "  Do  you  know  that 
box?"  This  brought  its  sale  to  the 
recollection  of  Jacob,  who  seizing  his 
hand,  said,  "Is  this  you,  Mr.  Ellis? 


How  do  you  do  ?  I  am  glad  to  see 
you  looking  so  well  after  so  long  a 
period." 


Washingi^on  as  a  Business  Han. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen,  Washington 
studied  the  intricate  forms  of  business 
with  great  ardor.  He  copied  out  bills 
of  exchange,  notes  of  hand,  bills  of  sale, 
receipts,  and  all  the  varieties  of  that 
class — all  being  remarkable  for  the  pre- 
cision and  elegance  with  which  they 
were  executed.  His  manuscripts,  even 
then,  were  of  the  utmost  neatness  and 
uniformity,  the  diagrams  always  beauti- 
ful, the  columns  and  tables  of  figures 
exact ;  and  all  in  unstained  and  unblot- 
ted  order.  His  business  papers,  ledg- 
ers, and  daybooks,  in  which  no  one 
wrote  but  himself,  were  models  of  exact- 
ness. Every  fact  had  its  place,  and 
was  recorded  in  a  plain,  clear  hand- 
writing, and  there  was  neither  inter- 
lineation, blot,  or  blemish.  One  of  his 
rules,  at  this  immature  age,  was,  "  Let 
your  discourse  with  men  of  business  be 
short  and  comprehensive." 

From  1759  to  1764,  Washington  was, 
in  some  measure,  an  active  merchant ; 
for,  in  that  calmest  period  of  his  event- 
ful life,  he  regularly  exported  to  Lon- 
don the  product  of  his  large  estate  on 
the  Potomac.  The  shipments  were 
made  in  his  own  name,  and  to  his  cor- 
respondents in  Bristol  and  Liverpool, 
to  which  places  his  tobacco  was  cout 
signed.  In  retxim  for  the  articles  ex- 
ported, it  was  his  custom,  twice  in  each 
year,  to  import  from  London  the  goods 
which  he  desired  to  use ;  and  as  an  in- 
stance of  the  accurateness  with  which 
he  conducted  his  commercial  transac- 
tions as  an  importer,  it  is  stated  that 
he  required  his  agent  to  send  him,  in 
addition  to  a  general  bill  of  the  whole, 
the  original  vouchers  of  the  shopkeep- 
ers and  mechanics,  from  whom  pur- 
chases had  been  made.  So  particular 
was  he  in  these  concerns,  that  he 
recorded,  with  his  own  hand,  in  books 


180 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


prepared  for  the  purpose,  all  the  long 
lists  of  orders,  and  copies  of  the  multi- 
farious receipts  from  the  different  mer- 
chants and  tradesmen  who  had  sup- 
plied the  goods.  In  this  way  he  kept 
a  perfect  oversight  of  the  business ; 
ascertained  the  prices;  could  detect 
any  imposition,  mismanagement,  or 
carelessness,  and  tell  when  any  advan- 
tage was  taken  of  him — of  which,  if  he 
discovered  any,  he  did  not  fail  to  re- 
mind his  correspondents. 


Present  Prosperity  of  the  Rothschilds. 

He  who  does  not  delay  for  casual- 
ties, and  has  knowledge  enough  to  per- 
ceive that  in  all  great  affairs  the  success 
not  only  depends  on  the  choice  and  use 
of  the  most  favorable  moment,  but  e»p&- 
eially  on  the  pursuit  of  an  acknowledged 
fundamental  maxim,  has  the  two  prin- 
ciples which  are  never  neglected  by 
this  banking  house,  and  to  which — ^be- 
Bides  to  a  prudent  performance  of  its 
business  and  to  advantageous  conjunc- 
tures— it  owes  the  greatest  part  of  its 
present  wealth  and  renown. 

The  first  of  these  principles  was  that 
which  caused  the  five  brothers  to  carry 
on  their  business  in  a  perpetual  and  im- 
interrupted  communion.  This  was  the 
golden  rule  bequeathed  to  them  by 
their  dying  father.  Since  his  death, 
every  proposition,  let  it  come  from 
whom  it  may,  is  the  object  of  their 
common  deliberations.  Every  impor- 
tant undertaking  was  carried  on  by  a 
combined  effort,  after  a  plan  agreed 
upon,  and  all  had  an  equal  share  in  the 
result.  Though  for  several  years  their 
customary  residences,  being  in  the 
great  capitals  of  Europe,  were  very 
remote,  this  circumstance  could  never 
interrupt  their  harmony ;  it  rather 
gave  them  this  advantage,  that  they 
were  always  perfectly  well  instructed 
as  to  the  condition  of  things  in  every 
metropolis,  and  thus  each  of  them,  on 
his  part,  could  the  better  prepare  and 
initiate  the  affairs  to  be  undertaken  by 


the  firm.  The  second  principle  in  per- 
petual view  of  this  house  is,  not  to  seek 
an  excessive  profit  in  any  undertaking ; 
to  assign  certain  limits — though,  of 
course,  proportioned  to  their  vast  means 
— to  every  enterprise ;  and,  as  much  as 
human  caution  and  prudence  will  per- 
mit, to  make  themselves  independent 
of  the  play  of  accidents. 


Mr.  Everett  and  the  Hindoo  Kerchant. 

The  far-reaching  influence  which 
American  commercial  enterprise  has 
abroad,  is  illustrated  by  the  follow- 
ing anecdote  told  by  Mr.  Everett: 
"When  I  had  the  honor  to  represent 
the  country  at  London,"  says  Mr.  E.,  "  I 
was  a  little  struck  one  day,  at  the  royal 
drawingroom,  to  see  the  President  of 
the  Board  of  Control  (the  board  charg- 
ed with  the  supervision  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  India)  approaching  me  with  a 
stranger,  at  that  time  much  talked  of 
in  London — the  Babu  Dwarkananth 
Tagore.  This  person,  who  is  now  Hy- 
ing, was  a  Hindoo  of  great  wealth, 
liberality,  and  intelligence.  He  was 
dressed  with  oriental  magnificence — ^he 
had  on  his  head,  by  way  of  turban,  a 
rich  Cashmere  shawl,  held  together  by 
a  large  diamond  brooch ;  another  Cash- 
mere around  his  body ;  his  countenance 
and  manners  were  those  of  a  highly  in- 
telligent and  remarkable  person,  as  he 
was.  After  the  ceremony  of  introduc- 
tion was  over,  he  said  he  wished  to 
make  his  acknowledgments  to  me,  as 
the  American  minister,  for  the  benefits 
which  my  countrymen  had  conferred 
upon  his  countrymen.  I  did  not  at 
first  know  what  he  referred  to ;  I 
thought  he  might  have  in  view  the 
mission  schools,  knowing,  as  I  did, 
that  he  himself  had  done  a  great  deal 
for  education.  He  immediately  said 
that  he  referred  to  the  cargoes  of  ice 
sent  from  America  to  India,  conducing 
not  only  to  comfort  but  health.  He 
asked  me  if  I  knew  from  what  part  of 
America  it  came.    It  gave  me  great 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


181 


pleasure  to  tell  him  that  I  lived,  when 
at  home,  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
spot  from  which  it  was  brought." 


Earliest  Amerioan  Whaleship  in  Eng- 
land. 

The  following  interesting  scrap  is 
from  Bamerd's  History  of  England: 
"  1783.  On  the  third  of  February,  the 
ship  Bedford,  Capt.  Moores,  belonging 
to  Massachusetts,  arrived  in  the  Downs, 
passed  Gravesend  on  the  4th,  and  was 
reported  at  the  custom  house  on  the 
6th.  She  was  not  allowed  regular  en- 
try until  some  consultation  had  taken 
place  between  the  commissioners  of  the 
custom  house  and  the  lords  of  the  coun- 
cil, on  account  of  the  many  acts  of  par- 
liament yet  in  force  against  the  rebels 
of  America.  She  was  loaded  with  five 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  butts  of 
whale  oil,  manned  wholly  with  Amer- 
ican seamen,  and  belonged  to  the  island 
of  Nantucket,  Mass.  The  vessel  lay  at 
the  Horsley  Down,  a  little  below  the 
river,  and  was  the  first  which  displayed 
the  stars  and  stripes  in  any  British 
port." 


Ezplainingr  his  Business. 

There  is  an  ancient  volume  of 
"  Saxon  Dialogues,"  preserved  in  the 
British  Museum,  in  which  the  mer- 
chant, as  one  of  the  characters  intro- 
duced, gives  the  why  and  wherefore  of 
his  occupation : 

"  I  say  that  I  am  useful  to  the  king, 
and  to  aldermen,  and  to  the  rich,  and  to 
all  people.  I  ascend  my  ship  with  my 
merchandise,  and  sail  over  the  sea-like 
places,  and  sell  my  things,  and  buy 
dear  things  which  are  not  produced  in 
this  land,  and  I  bring  them  to  you 
here,  with  great  danger  over  the  sea ; 
and  sometimes  I  suffer  shipwreck,  with 
the  loss  of  all  my  things,  scarcely  escap- 
ing myself"  He  is  then  asked,  "  What 
do  you  bring  to  us  ? "  to  which  he  an- 
swers, "  Skins,  silks,  costly  gems,  and 
gold ;  various  garments,  pigment,  wine, 


oil,  ivory ;  brass,  copper  and  tin,  silver, 
glass,  and  such  like." 

The  principle  of  all  commercial  deal- 
ings is  distinctly  enough  stated  in  the 
answer  to  the  next  question :  "  Will 
you  sell  your  things  here  as  you  bought 
them  there ? "  "I  will  not ;  because 
what  would  my  labor  benefit  me?  I 
will  sell  them  here  dearer  than  I  bought 
them  there,  that  I  may  get  some  profit 
to  feed  me,  my  wife,  and  children." 


Aztec  Merchants. 

The  Aztec  merchant  was  a  sort  of 
itinerant  trader,  who  made  his  jour- 
neys to  the  remotest  borders  of  Ana- 
huac,  and  to  the  coimtries  beyond, 
carrying  with  him  merchandise  of  rich 
stuflFs,  jewelry,  slaves,  and  other  valu- 
able '  commodities.' 

With  this  rich  freight  the  merchant 
visited  the  different  provinces,  always 
bearing  some  present  of  value  from  his 
own  sovereign  to  their  chiefs,  and  usu- 
ally receiving  others  in  return,  with  a 
permission  to  trade.  Should  this  be 
denied  him,  or  should  he  meet  with  in- 
dignity or  violence,  he  had  the  means 
of  resistance  in  his  power.  He  per- 
formed his  journeys  with  a  number  of 
companions  of  his  own  rank,  and  a 
large  body  of  inferior  attendants,  who 
were  employed  to  transport  the  goods. 
The  whole  caravan  went  armed,  and  so 
well  provided  against  sudden  hostili- 
ties, that  they  could  make  good  their 
defence,  if  necessary,  till  reinforced  from 
home. 

It  was  not  unusual  for  government 
to  allow  the  merchants  to  raise  levies 
themselves,  for  warlike  purposes,  and 
which  were  placed  under  their  com- 
mand. It  was,  moreover,  very  common 
for  the  prince  to  employ  the  merchants 
as  a  sort  of  spies,  to  furnish  him  in- 
formation of  the  state  of  the  country 
through  which  they  passed,  and  the 
disposition  of  the  inhabitants  toward 
himself 

Thus  their  sphere  of  action  was  much 


182 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


enlarged  beyond  that  of  a  humble  tra- 
der, and  they  acquired  a  high  consider- 
ation in  the  body  politic.  They  were 
allowed  to  assume  insignia  and  devices 
of  their  own.  Some  of  their  number 
composed  what  is  called  by  the  Span- 
ish writers  a  council  of  finance.  They 
were  much  consulted  by  the  monarch, 
■who  had  some  of  them  constantly  near 
his  person,  addressing  them  by  the  title 
of  "  uncle." 


Sources  of  Wealth,  of  the  Medici  Mer- 
chants. 

The  two  brothers,  Lorenzo  and  Cos- 
mo de  Medici,  were  in  conjunction  in 
their  great  mercantile  aflFairs,  until  the 
death  of  the  former,  when  his  propor- 
tion of  the  riches  they  obtained,  amount- 
ing to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  florins, 
was  inherited  by  his  son  Ker  Francesco 
de  Medici,  for  whose  use  it  was  retained 
by  Cosmo  until  the  year  1451,  when  a 
distribution  took  place  among  the  two 
families.  From  that  time  it  was  agreed 
that  the  traffic  of  the  family  should  be 
carried  on  for  the  joint  benefit  of  Pier 
Francesco,  and  of  Piero  and  Gioyanni, 
the  sons  of  Cosmo,  who  were  to  divide 
the  profits  in  equal  shares  of  one  third 
to  each — and  immense  riches  were  by 
them  thus  acquired. 

Of  the  particular  branch  of  traffic  by 
which  the  Medici  family  acquired  their 
enormous  wealth,  there  is  little  doubt 
but  that  a  considerable  portion  of  it 
arose  from  the  trade  which  the  Floren- 
tines, in  the  early  part  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  began  to  carry  on  to  Alexan- 
dria for  the  productions  of  the  East,  in 
which  they  attempted  to  rival  the  states 
of  Genoa  and  Venice.  To  this  they 
-were  induced  by  the  representations  of 
Taddeo  di  Cenni,  who  having  resided 
at  Venice,  and  being  apprised  of  the 
advantages  -which  that  city  derived 
from  the  traffic  in  spices  and  other 
Eastern  merchandise,  prevailed  upon 
his  countrymen  to  aim  at  a  participa- 
tion in  the  new  trade.  The  initiative 
was  consequently  made,  and,  in  1422, 


the  Florentines  entered  on  their  new 
commerce  with  the  most  imposing  pub- 
lic pageant. 

But  perhaps  the  principal  sources  of 
the  riches  of  this  family  arose  from  the 
commercial  banks  "which  they  had 
established  in  almost  all  the  trading 
cities  of  Europe,  and  which  were  con- 
ducted by  agents  in  whom  they  placed 
great  confidence.  At  a  time  when  the 
rate  of  interest  principally  depended  on 
the  necessities  of  the  borrower,  and  was 
in  most  cases  very  exorbitant,  an  incon- 
ceivable profit  must  have  been  derived 
from  those  establishments,  especially  as 
they  were  at  times  resorted  to  for  pe- 
cuniary assistance  by  the  most  power- 
ful sovereigns  of  Europe. 


Remarkable  Case  of  Conscience  in  a 
Business  Man. 

An  old  Dutchman,  named  8 ,  who 

lived  in  one  of  the  wretched  hovels  that 
stand  in  the  rear  of  Sheriff  street,  and 
whose  apparent  poverty  and  sufferings 
from  a  dreadful  case  of  hernia  had  long 
excited  the  sympathy  of  his  humane 
neighbors,  died  of  asthma  and  a  com- 
bination of  other  diseases.  He  was 
well  known  to  be  of  a  very  obstinate 
and  eccentric  disposition;  and,  al- 
though he  had  been  confined  to  his 
bed  for  some  weeks,  he  not  only  reject- 
ed all  medical  aid,  but  persisted  to  the 
last  in  sleeping  in  the  whole  of  his 
wardrobe,  which  consisted  chiefly  in  a 
pair  of  breeches  that  at  some  remote  era 
had  been  constructed  of  blue  velvet, 
and  a  sailor's  jacket,  and  a  frieze  over- 
coat, all  of  which  exhibited  accumu- 
lated proofs  of  the  old  man's  attach- 
ment. He  sent  for  Mr.  Van  D.,  a  re- 
spectable countryman  of  his,  residing 
in  the  neighborhood,  who  had  given 
him  charitable  relief,  and  privately  re- 
quested him  to  make  his  will  I  To 
this  gentleman's  great  surprise,  he  be- 
queathed various  sums  of  money, 
amounting  altogether  to  several  thou- 
sand dollars,  to  children  and  grand- 
children residing  at  Newark  and  Al- 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


183 


bany,  and  confidentially  informed  him 
•where  his  property  was  deposited.  He 
then  narrated  to  Mr.  V.  D.  the  follow- 
ing remarkable  facts  in  his  history : 

He  stated  that  about  twenty-five 
years  ago,  he  was  a  porter  to  a  mercan- 
tile house  in  Hamburg,  and  having 
been  long  in  its  employ,  was  frequently 
intrusted  with  considerable  sums  of 
money  for  conveyance  to  other  estab- 
lishments. In  an  hour  of  evil  influence 
he  was  induced  to  violate  his  trust,  and 
abscond  to  this  country.  Having  ar- 
rived, he  invested  the  greater  part  of  it 
in  the  purchase  of  two  houses,  which 
adjoined  each  other,  and  which,  before 
he  had  effected  an  insurance  upon  them, 
were  burned  to  the  ground.  Consider- 
ing this  a  judgment  of  heaven  upon  his 
dishonesty,  he  determined  to  devote 
the  remainder  of  his  life  to  a  severe 
course  of  industry  and  parsimony,  with 
the  single  object  in  view  of  making  full 
restitution  to  the  persons  whom  he  had 
injured,  or  to  their  descendants. 

He  adopted  another  name,  and,  with 
the  means  he  had  left,  commenced  busi- 
ness as  a  tobacconist,  and,  although  his 
trade  was  a  retail  one,  and  he  had  again 
suffered  a  heavy  loss  from  fire,  he  had 
succeeded,  five  years  since,  in  acquiring 
sufficient  property  to  accomplish  his 
just  and  elevated  purpose.  He  then, 
accordingly,  sold  his  stock  in  trade, 
and  was  preparing  to  transmit  the  ne- 
cessary amount  to  Hamburg,  where  the 
mercantile  firm  he  had  defrauded  still 
continues,  when  he  ascertained  that  it 
had  a  branch  establishment  or  agency 
counting  house  in  Philadelphia.  Thith- 
er he  went,  and  paid  the  sum  of  four- 
teen ihomand  dollars,  being  equivalent 
to  the  original  sum  he  had  embezzled, 
with  a  certain  rate  of  interest.  The 
latter,  however,  was  generously  re- 
turned to  him  by  a  son  of  one  of  the 
partners,  and  this,  together  with  some 
surplus  money,  he  bequeathed  as  above 
stated.  This  money  was  found  by  his 
executor,  principally  in  doubloons,  and 
curiously  concealed  in  a  certain  private 


department  of  the  tenacious  breeches 
before  specified ;  and  it  was  thus  ascer- 
tained, at  last,  that  the  old  man's  dread- 
ful case  of  hernia,  on  account  of  which 
he  had  received  so  much  sympathy, 
was  a  *  case '  of  something  far  less  ob- 
jectionable, and  hardly  coming  within' 
the  category  of  those  dreaded  "  ills  to 
which  human  flesh  is  heir." 


Ur.  Gkrinnell's  Liberality. 

The  name  of  Henry  Grinnell  will 
have  an  enduring  place  in  American 
mercantile  history,  as  that  of  the  au- 
thor, advocate,  and  patron  of  the 
United  States'  expedition  in  search  of 
Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  gallant  party. 
With  that  enterprise  and  liberality  so 
characteristic  of  his  profession — and  of 
Mr.  Grinnell  in  particular — he  promptly 
came  forward  at  a  time  when  that 
much  talked  of  undertaking  was  in 
special  need  of  influential  countenance 
as  well  as  of  pecuniary  aid.  The  vari- 
ous expeditions  which  Great  Britain 
had  sent  out  in  search  of  the  illustrious 
pioneer  party,  though  well  devised, 
seemed  to  suffer  from  various  and  pecu- 
liar drawbacks,  so  that,  before  the  be- 
ginning of  1850,  all  further  attempts 
were  abandoned — almost  without  at- 
taining the  flrst  threshold  of  inquiry. 
Their  failure  aroused  everywhere  the 
generous  sympathies  of  men.  Science 
felt  for  its  votaries,  humanity  mourned 
its  fellows,  and  an  impulse,  holier  and 
more  energetic  than  either,  invoked  a 
crusade  of  rescue.  That  admirable 
woman,  the  wife  of  Sir  John  Franklin, 
not  content  vnth  stimulating  the  re- 
newed efforts  of  her  own  countrymen, 
claimed  the  cooperation  of  the  world. 
In  letters  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  full  of  the  eloquence  of  feeling, 
she  called  on  us,  as  a  "  kindred  people, 
to  join  heart  and  hand  in  the  enter- 
prise of  snatching  the  lost  navigators 
from  a  dreary  grave,"  The  delays  inci- 
dent to  much  of  our  national  legisla- 
tion menaced  the  defeat  of  her  appeal. 


184 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSESTESS  ANECDOTES. 


The  bill  making  appropriations  for  the 
outfit  of  an  expedition  lingered  on  its 
passage,  and  the  season  for  commencing 
operations  had  nearly  gone  by.  At  this 
juncture,  that  noble- spirited  naerchant 
of  New  York,  Henry  Griimell,  fitted 
out  two  of  his  own  vessels,  and  proffered 
them  gratuitously  to  the  Government. 
Prompted  by  such  munificent  private 
liberality,  Congress  hastened  to  take 
the  expedition  under  its  charge,  and 
authorized  the  necessary  proceedings  to 
that  end. — Moses  H.  Grinnell,  a  broth- 
er of  Henry,  is  also  distinguished  for 
his  merchant-like  love  of  "  doing  a 
good  thing." 


A  Good  Besinningr— Old  Hoses  Both- 
schild. 

An  account  is  given,  on  another  page 
•of  this  work,  of  the  circumstances  im- 
der  which  the  Prince  of  Hesse  Cassel, 
in  his  flight  from  the  French  republican 
army,  passed  through  the  city  of  Prank- 
fort-on-the-Main,  and  paid  a  hasty 
visit  to  one  Moses  Rothschild,  a  Jewish 
banker  of  limited  means,  but  of  good 
repute,  both  for  integrity  and  ability 
in  the  management  of  his  business. 
As  is  well  known,  the  Prince's  purpose 
in  visiting  Moses  was  to  request  him  to 
take  charge  of  a  large  sum  in  money 
and  jewels,  amounting  in  value  to  sev- 
eral millions  of  dollars.  The  Jew  at 
first  point  blank  refused  so  dangerous 
a  charge ;  but,  upon  being  earnestly 
pressed  to  take  it,  at  the  prince's  own 
sole  risk — nay,  that  even  a  receipt 
should  not  be  required — he  at  length 
consented.  The  money  and  jewels  were 
speedily  but  privately  conveyed  from 
the  prince's  treasury  to  the  Jew's  resi- 
dence ;  and,  just  as  the  advanced  corps 
of  the  French  army  had  entered  through 
the  gates  of  Frankfort,  Moses  had  suc- 
ceeded in  burying  it  in  a  comer  of  his 
garden.  He,  of  course,  received  a  visit 
from  the  republicans ;  but,  true  to  his 
trust,  he  hit  upon  the  following  means 
of  saving  the  treasure  of  the  fugitive 
prince,  who  had  placed  such  implicit 


confidence  in  his  honor.  He  therefore 
did  not  attempt  to  conceal  any  of  his 
own  property  (the  value  of  his  cash  and 
stock  consisting  of  only  forty  thousand 
thalers,  or  about  $30,000),  but,  after 
the  necessary  remonstrances  and  grum- 
bling with  his  unwelcome  visitors, 
and  a  threat  or  two  that  he  should  re- 
port them  to  the  general-in-chief— from 
whom  he  had  no  doubt  of  obtaining 
redress — he  sufiered  them  to  carry  it 
all  off. 

As  soon  as  the  republicans  had  evac- 
uated the  city,  Moses  Rothschild  re- 
sumed his  business  as  banker  and  money 
changer ;  at  first,  indeed,  in  an  humble 
way,  but  daily  increasing  and  extend- 
ing it  by  the  aid  of  the  Prince  of  Hesse 
Cassel's  money.  In  the  course  of  a 
comparatively  short  space  of  time,  he 
was  considered  the  most  stable  and 
opulent  banker  in  all  Germany. 

In  the  year  1802,  the  prince  return- 
ing to  his  dominions,  visited  Frankfort 
in  his  route.  He  was  almost  afraid  to 
call  on  his  Jewish  banker ;  apprehend- 
ing that  if  the  French  had  left  any- 
thing, the  honesty  of  Moses  had  not 
been  proof  against  so  strong  a  tempta- 
tion as  he  had  been  compelled  from 
dire  necessity  to  put  in  his  way.  On 
being  introduced  into  Rothschild's  sano- 
turn,  he,  in  a  tone  of  despairing  care- 
lessness, said : 

"  I  have  called  on  you,  Moses,  as  a 
matter  of  course ;  but  I  fear  the  result. 
Did  the  rascals  take  all  ? " 

"iVoi  a  thaler,^''  replied  the  Jew, 
gravely. 

"  What  say  you  ? "  returned  his  high- 
ness. "  Not  a  thaler  1  Why,  I  was  in- 
formed that  the  mns-culoUes  had  emp- 
tied aU  your  coffers,  and  made  you  a 
beggar.  I  even  read  so  in  the  ga- 
zettes." 

"Why,  so  they  did,  may  it  please 
your  serene  highness,"  replied  Moses ; 
"but  I  was  too  cunning  for  them. 
By  letting  them  take  my  own  little 
stock,  I  saved  your  great  one,  I  knew 
that  as  I  was  reputed  wealthy,  although 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


186 


by  no  means  so,  if  I  should  remove  any 
of  my  own  gold  and  silver  from  their 
appropriate  bags  or  cofiers,  the  robbers 
would  be  sure  to  search  for  it,  and,  in 
doing  so,  would  not  forget  to  dig  in 
the  garden.  It  is  wonderful  what  a 
keen  sense  these  fellows  have  got  I  they 
actually  poured  buckets  of  water  over 
some  of  my  neighbors'  kitchen  and 
cellar  floors,  in  order  to  discover,  by 
the  rapid  sinking  of  the  fluid,  whether 
the  tiles  and  earth  had  been  recently 
dug  up !  Well,  as  I  was  saying,  I 
buried  your  treasure  in  the  garden ; 
and  it  remained  untouched  until  the 
robbers  left  Frankfort,  to  go  in  search 
of  plunder  elsewhere.  Now,  then,  to 
the  point :  as  the  sans-cuhttes  left  me 
not  a  kreutzer  to  carry  on  my  business ; 
as  several  good  opportunities  offered 
of  making  a  very  handsome  profit ;  and 
as  I  thought  it  a  pity  that  so  much 
good  money  should  lie  idle,  while  the 
merchants  were  both  ready  and  willing 
to  give  large  interest;  the  temptation 
of  converting  your  highhess's  florins  to 
present  use  haunted  my  thoughts  by 
day  and  my  dreams  by  night.  Not  to 
detain  your  highness  with  a  long  story, 
I  dug  up  the  treasure,  and  deposited 
your  jewels  in  a  strong  box,  from 
which  they  have  never  since  been 
moved;  I  employed  your  gold  and 
silver  in  my  business ;  my  speculations 
were  profitable ;  and  I  am  now  able  to 
restore  your  deposit,  with  five  per  cent, 
interest  since  the  day  on  which  you  left 
it  under  my  care." 

"I  thank  you  heartily,  my  good 
friend,"  said  his  highness,  "for  the 
great  care  you  have  taken  and  the 
sacrifice  you  have  made.  As  to  the  in- 
terest of  five  per  cent.,  let  that  replace 
the  sum  which  the  French  took  from 
you ;  1  beg  you  will  add  to  it  whatever 
other  profits  you  may  have  made.  As 
a  reward  for  your  singular  honesty,  I 
shall  still  leave  my  cash  in  your  hands 
for  twenty  years  longer,  at  a  low  rate 
of  two  per  cent,  interest  per  annum, 
the  same  being  more  as  an  acknowledg- 


ment of  the  deposit  in  case  of  the  death 
of  either  of  us,  than  with  a  view  of 
making  a  profit  by  you.  I  trust  that 
this  will  enable  you  to  use  my  florins 
with  advantage  in  any  way  which  may 
appear  most  beneficial  to  your  own  in- 
terests." 


Perseverance  Badly  Bewarded. 

Many  years  ago,  when  Texas  was 
first  admitted  into  the  Union,  George 
Ford,  a  well-known  hardware  merchant 
in  Boston,  visited  that  State  on  busi- 
ness. He  had  occasion  to  travel  in  dis- 
tant and  thinly-settled  parts  of  the 
State  on  horseback,  where  sometimes 
he  would  not  see  a  habitation  for  thirty 
or  forty  miles.  He  was  told  that  on 
reaching  the  Brazos  River,  a  quarter- 
of  a  mile  wide  at  a  certain  point  in 
Washington  County,  he  would  find  a 
bridge ;  but,  on  reaching  the  river, 
there  were  no  signs  of  a  bridge.  The 
persevering  merchant  dismounted,  un- 
dressed, and  tying  his  clothes  in  his 
handkerchief,  he  fastened  the  bundle 
to  the  headstall  of  the  horse,  and  drove 
him  into  the  river.  Ford  swimming 
after  him.  Both  arrived  safely  on  the 
other  side ;  and  after  dressing,  he  was 
very  much  perplexed  to  find  three  forks 
to  the  road  or  trail,  and  the  question 
was  now  which  one  to  take  to  reach 
his  destination — a  town  some  fifty  miles 
distant.  While  pondering  on  the  prob- 
abilities, he  cast  his  eyes  back  over  the 
river,  and  saw  a  signboard  nailed  to  a 
tree.  He  resolved  to  swiin  back  and 
read  it.  Undressing  again,  in  he  went, 
and  reached  the  other  side,  and  read 
these  words :  "  Five  dollars  fine  for 
crossing  this  bridge  faster  than  a  walk." 
It  appeared  the  bridge  had  been  car- 
ried away  during  a  great  freshet,  some 
months  previous,  the  only  vestige  re- 
maining being  the  sign  above  on  the 
tree.  George  said  it  was  the  only  time 
he  ever  was  "  sold  "  in  Texas. 


186 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Correct  Appreciation  of  Mercantile 
Character  by  Mr.  Astor. 

Whilk  in  Liverpool,  England,  Mr, 
James  G.  King  was  brought  into  rela- 
tions of  business  and  mucb  personal  in- 
timacy with  Mr.  John  Jacob  Astor, 
who  was  on  a  brief  sojourn  in  Europe ; 
and  such  was  the  impression  made 
upon  that  sagacious  observer  and  al- 
most unerring  judge  of  character,  by 
the  business  tact  and  promptness  of  Mr. 
King,  and  his  general  character,  that, 
upon  his  return  to  the  United  States, 
Mr.  Astor  invited  him  to  come  to  New 
York  and  take  the  chief  direction  of 
the  American  Fur  Company,  with  a 
very  liberal  salary.  The  offer  was  a 
tempting  one,  and  made  at  a  time 
when,  owing  to  the  mercantile  disas- 
ters which  had  been  battled  with,  the 
prospects  of  Mr.  King's  house  in  Liver- 
pool were  not  very  promising.  But  the 
business  to  which  he  was  invited  was 
wholly  new  to  him  ;  and,  moreover,  it 
was  in  his  character  to  prefer  an  inde- 
pendent position — though  it  might  be 
less  lucrative — to  any,  however  advan- 
tageous, of  which  the  tenure  was  at  the 
pleasure  of  others.  Mr.  King,  there- 
fore, declined,  but  with  such  expres- 
sion of  his  sense  of  the  liberal  kindness 
of  Mr.  Astor  as  was  both  natural  and 
fitting;  and  Mr.  Astor  continued  his 
fiist  friend  always,  and  had  another 
occasion  of  proving  his  friendship 
about  the  close  of  1823.  Consulted  by 
Mr.  Prime,  then  at  the  head  of  the 
house  of  Prime,  Ward,  Sands  &  Co.,  as 
to  his  knowledge  of  some  fitting  person 
upon  whom  Mr.  Prime  might  safely 
devolve  a  portion  of  the  business  of  his 
prosperous  house,  Mr.  Astor  at  once 
suggested  the  name  of  James  Q,  King, 
and  accompanied  it  with  such  eulogies 
as  to  determine  Mr.  Prime,  who,  it 
seems,  from  some  business  intercourse 
between  their  houses,  had  himself 
thought  of  Mr.  King,  to  invite  him  to 
become  a  partner  in  his  house ;  and  this 
arrangement  was  in  due  time  consum- 


mated. The  brilliant  commercial  re- 
sults of  this  copartnership,  and  the 
whole  subsequent  career  of  Mr.  King, 
showed  that  Mr.  Astor  was  not  mis- 
taken in  his  appreciation  of  the  man. 


Search  for  a  New  Boate  to  China. 

SiK  Hugh  WrLLOUGHBT's  famous 
commercial  exploring  expedition  in 
the  fifteenth  century — to  discover  a 
near  route  to  China — met  with  a  sad 
fate.  By  the  sudden  approach  of  win- 
ter he  was  compelled  to  seek  refuge 
within  an  obscure  harbor  in  Russian 
Lapland,  where,  with  the  crew  of  two 
of  his  vessels,  he  was  frozen  to  death ; 
and  when  the  Laplanders,  in  pursuance 
of  their  annual  custom,  sought  the  sea- 
coast  in  summer,  for  the  sake  of  its  fish- 
ery, they  found  the  remains  of  the  un- 
happy adventurer,  who,  meditating  a 
great  discovery,  had  met  with  an  ob- 
scure death.  It  is  a  touching  picture 
to  contemplate  him  as  he  was  found, 
sitting  with  his  diary  and  papers  before 
him  as  in  life,  and  to  think  how  little 
his  aspiring  but  noble  ambition  medi- 
tated so  melancholy  a  fate.  The  expe- 
dition, however,  was  not  without  its 
benefit,  as  one  vessel  escaped,  Richard 
Chancellor,  its  commander,  landed  near 
Archangel,  and  inclined  the  Czar,  Ivan 
Bazilowitz,  then  engaged  in  the  Livo- 
nian  war,  to  grant  considerable  com- 
mercial privileges  to  the  English, 


Extension  and  Profits  of  Mr.  Aster's 
Fur  Business. 

If  there  was  anything  left  undone  by 
Mr.  Astor  to  extend  and  give  success 
to  his  early  and  favorite  trade  in  furs, 
then  it  was  something  which  mortal 
shrewdness  could  not  compass.  He 
made  himself  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  nature  of  that  trade,  coming 
in  contact  with  the  agents,  and  obtain- 
ing a  complete  knowledge  of  the  meth- 
ods and  profits  of  the  traffic.  His  great 
enterprise  induced  hipn  to  reach  for 


SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS  QUALITIES. 


187 


ward  to  what  others  would  have  shrunk 
from. 

When  the  revolutionary  war  closed, 
Oswego,  Detroit,  Niagara,  and  other 
posts,  were  in  the  hands  of  the  British ; 
and  as  these  were  the  entrepots  of  the 
western  and  northern  countries,  the 
fur  trade  had  languished  after  their 
capture  and  during  their  detention 
The  traders  had  been  either  driven 
away  or  drafted  into  the  armies;  the 
trappers  had  ranged  themselves  on 
either  side  of  the  political  contention ; 
and  the  Indians  obtained  more  fire- 
water and  calico  for  the  use  of  their 
mercenary  rifles  and  tomahawks  from 
Great  Britain,  in  this  her  domestic 
quarrel  with  the  colonies,  than  if  they 
had  employed  them  on  beavers  and 
squirrels.  After  much  negotiation  and 
surveying,  and  the  advancement  and 
consideration  of  claims,  these  posts 
were  conceded  to  the  United  States, 
and  Canada  was  opened  to  the  fur 
trade.  Shortly  afterward  the  British 
retired  from  the  west  side  of  St.  Clair, 
opening  up  to  the  enterprising  mer- 
chants of  America  the  great  fur  trade 
of  the  West. 

Mr.  Astor  saw  that  the  posts  thus 
made  free  would  soon  be  thronged  by 
Indians  eager  to  dispose  of  the  accumu- 
lated produce  of  several  years'  hunting, 
and  that  the  time  had  now  come  when 
he  was  certain  to  amass  a  large  fortune 
by  the  traffic.  He  immediately  estab- 
lished agencies,  over  which  he  exer- 
cised a  sort  of  personal  superintendence, 
visiting  the  stations  sometimes,  but 
chiefly  devoting  himself  to  the  New 
York  business.  The  results  verified 
the  sagacious  predictions  of  Mr.  Astor, 
for  in  a  few  years  his  gains  from  this 
source  were  very  large. 

The  British  fur  companies  had,  how- 
ever, built  their  block  forts  at  almost 
every  eligible  site  on  the  rivers  of  the 
northern  and  southwestern  parts  of  the 
American  continent,  and  were  soon  like- 
ly to  acquire  a  monopoly  of  the  whole  of 
tixe  fur  trade,  unless  some  bold  measures 


were  adopted  to  rescue  it  from  them. 
This  Astor  attempted  in  1803,  by  estab- 
lishing the  American  Pur  Company. 
The  hardy  adventurers  who  entered 
into  this  project,  boldly  pushed  their 
outposts  far  into  the  hitherto  unknown 
prairie,  and  raised  their  forts  upon  the 
banks  of  yet  unexplored  rivers.  Tribes 
unused  to  see  the  white  man,  and  who 
only  knew  him  through  vague  tradi- 
tion, or  by  a  passing  tale  from  some 
visitor  of  another  tribe,  now  saw  and 
knew  him,  and  brought  their  abund- 
ance of  beaver,  otter,  and  buffalo  skins, 
and  laid  them  at  his  feet  for  muskets, 
powder,  and  fire-water. 

No  sooner  was  the  American  Fur 
Company  established  and  in  operation 
than  Mr.  Astor  cast  his  shrewd  eyes 
toward  the  region  stretching  from  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  the  ocean.  He 
proposed  to  the  United  States'  Govern- 
ment the  establishment  of  a  line  of 
forts  along  the  shores  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean  and  on  the  Columbia  River,  in 
order  to  take  from  the  hands  of  the 
British  all  facilities  for  establishing  a 
trade  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
The  project  was  agreed  to;  and  in 
1810  sixty  men,  under  the  command  of 
a  hardy  and  adventurous  leader,  es- 
tablished the  first  post  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia,  which  took  its  designa- 
tion of  Astoria  from  the  projector  of 
the  scheme.  This  became  the  germ  of 
the  budding  State  of  Oregon.  Then 
commenced  a  series  of  operations  on  a 
scale  altogether  beyond  anything  hith- 
erto attempted  by  individual  enter- 
prise. The  history  is  full  of  wildest 
romance.  The  whole  scheme  was  the 
offspring  of  a  capacious  mind;  and 
had  the  plans  of  Mr.  Astor  been  faith- 
fully carried  out  by  his  associates,  it 
would,  no  doubt,  have  been  eminently 
successful.  But  the  enterprise  soon 
failed.  During  the  war  a  British  armed 
sloop  captured  Astoria,  and  the  British 
fiir  traders  entered  upon  the  rich  field 
which  Mr.  Astor  had  planted,  and 
reaped  the  golden  harvest. 


■I«8 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Honorable  Distinction  attained  by 
Mr.  Perit. 

Pelatiah  Perit  had  at  an  early  age 
marked  out  for  himself  a  professional 
life,  intending  to  deyote  himself  to  the 
ministry,  and  possessing  a  fine  collegi- 
ate education  and  an  unspotted  relig- 
ious character  as  the  basis  of  such  a  ca- 
reer. But  a  partial  faUure  of  his  health, 
and  especially  of  his  voice,  required  a 
reconsideration  of  his  purpose.  Com- 
pelled thus  to  relinquish  the  profession 
to  which  he  was  led  by  religious  sym- 
pathies and  aspirations,  he  chose  the 
mercantile  profession  as  better  for  him 
than  any  other  secular  employment. 

He  was  in  his  nineteenth  year  when 
he  began  as  a  clerk  in  one  of  the  large 
importing  houses  at  Philadelphia, 
which  had  not  then  ceased  to  be  the 
foremost  of  our  American  cities.  Nor 
was  he  long  in  demonstrating  that  all 
his  talents  and  attainments  might  be 
made  serviceable  to  him  in  his  chosen 
employment.  After  remaining  about 
five  years  in  connection  with  the  house 
which  he  had  entered  as  a  clerk,  and 
for  which  he  had  made  several  voyages 
to  the  West  Indies  and  to  South  Amer- 
ica, he  returned  to  New  York  in  1809, 


just  when  all  the  commercial  interests 
of  our  country  were  imperilled,  and 
were  coming  to  the  brink  of  annihila- 
tion, by  that  series  of  measures  which 
terminated  in  the  war  of  1813.  When, 
however,  peace  was  restored,  and  the 
business  of  the  country  had  revived,  and 
its  foreign  commerce  once  more  began 
to  traverse  freely  every  ocean,  he  be- 
came a  partner  in  the  house  of  Good- 
hue &  Co.,  and,  through  all  the  changes 
which  time  and  death  made  in  the 
partnership,  he  remained  a  member  of 
that  firm  more  than  forty  years.  All 
commercial  men  know  the  character 
and  standing  of  that  house,  and  how 
much  of  it  was  the  character  and  stand- 
ing of  Pelatiah  Perit. 

His  place  among  his  fellow  mer- 
chants of  the  great  metropolis  was  rec- 
ognized by  his  election,  eleven  years 
ago,  to  the  Presidency  of  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce.  The 
rules  of  that  body  provide  that  no 
president  shall  be  reelected  for  more 
than  three  years  in  succession  without 
a  unanimous  vote.  Yet  for  ten  succes- 
sive years  he  held  that  place  of  honor, 
being  nine  times  reelected  by  the  unan- 
imous vote  of  his  distinguished  associ- 
ates— a  rare  and  honorable  distinction. 


PART  FOURTH. 


Anecdotes  of  Trade  amd  Bvsimss  Immoralitibb. 


PAET  FOURTH. 
Anecdotes  of  Trade  and  Business  Inunoralities. 

THB  RAREST  INSTANCES  OF  INGENIOUS  FRAUD,  FORGERY,  COUNTERFEITING,  AND  SMnGGLINO  ; 
USURY,  ARTIFICE,  TRICKS,  AND  MALPRACTICE  ;  WITH  EXAMPLES,  EXTRAORDINARY  AND 
AMUSING,  OP  AVARICE,  COVETOUSNESS,  PARSIMONY,  EXTORTION,  PRIDE,  RUDENESS,  VIO- 
LENCE,  AND  EXTRAVAGANCE   OF   BUSINESS   MEN. 


A  man  of  sense  can  artifice  disdain, 
As  men  of  wealth  may  venture  to  go  plain. — YouNO. 
A  knave  ia  like  a  tooth  drawer,  that  maintains  his  own  teeth  in  constant  eating  by  ptilling  out 
those  of  other  men. — Butlbr. 

Lands  mortgaged  may  return,  and  more  esteemed  ; 

But  honesty  once  pawned,  is  ne'er  redeemed. — Middleton. 

For  a  good  old  gentlemanly  vice, 

I  think  I  must  take  up  with  avarice.— Btrom's  "  Don  Jcan." 
He  is  rich  whose  income  is  more  than  his  expenses  ;  and  he  is  poor  whose  ezpenaea  exceed  his 
income. — Bbutsbe. 


Selline:  Salt  by  a  Chalk  Iiine. 

At  one  period  in  the  changeful  com- 
mercial life  of  Girard,  he  sold  salt  by 
the  bushel;  and,  conceiving  one  day 
that  hia  measure,  or  half  bushel,  was 
too  large,  he  determined  to  regulate  or 
readjust  it  himself.  For  this  purpose 
he  took  a  half-gallon  liquid  measure, 
and  repairing  to  the  wharf,  which  was 
at  that  time  constructed  with  steps,  for 
the  convenience  of  supplying  citizens 
with  water  from  the  river,  he  deposited 
the  requisite  number  of  half  gallons 
into  his  half  bushel,  and  then  drawing 
a  chalk  line  round  the  water  mark,  he 
found  it  was  too  large  by  an  inch  or 
more ;  on  discovering  this  to  be  the 
case,  he  forthwith  went  to  a  neighbor- 
ing cooper's  shop,  and  borrowing  a  saw 
for  the  purpose,  reduced  the  measure 
of  his  half  bushel  accordingly,  thus 
making  it  what  he  conceived  it  ought 
to  be.  This  gave  rise  to  the  saying, 
"  that  Mr.  Girard  was  a  just  man,  but 


it  was  according  to  his  own  measure  of 

justice," 

♦ 

Bothschild  and  Lucas— Stratagrem  to 
learn  the  Former's  Secrets. 

When  the  great  Hebrew  financier  lived 
on  Stamford  Hill,  there  resided  oppo- 
site to  him  another  very  wealthy  deal- 
er in  stock  exchange,  Lucas  by  name. 
The  latter  returned  one  night  very  late 
from  a  convivial  party;  he  observed 
a  carriage  and  four  standing  before 
Rothschild's  gate,  upon  which  he  or- 
dered his  own  carriage  to  go  out  of 
the  way,  and  commanded  his  coachman 
to  await  his  return. 

Lucas  now  went  stealthily  and 
watched  the  movements  at  Roths- 
child's gate.  He  did  not  lie  long  in 
ambush,  before  he  heard  a  party  leav- 
ing the  Hebrew  millionaire's  mansion, 
and  going  toward  the  carriage.  He 
saw  Rothschild,  accompanied  by  two 
muffled  figures,  step  into  the  carriage, 
and  heard  the  word  of  command,  "  To 


192 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


the  city  ! "  He  followed  Rothschild's 
carriage  very  closely.  But  when  he 
reached  the  top  of  the  street  in  which 
Rothschild's  office  was  situated,  Lucas 
ordered  his  carriage  to  stop,  from  which 
he  stepped  out,  and  proceeded,  reeling 
to  and  fro  through  the  street,  feigning 
to  be  mortally  drunk.  He  made  his 
way  in  this  same  mood  as  far  as  Roths- 
child's office,  and  sans  ceremonie  opened 
the  door,  to  the  great  consternation  and 
terror  of  the  housekeeper,  uttering  sun- 
dry ejaculations  in  the  broken  accents 
of  Bacchus's  votaries.  Heedless  of  the 
affinghted  housekeeper's  remonstrances, 
he  opened  Rothschild's  private  office, 
in  the  same  staggering  attitude,  and 
fell  down  flat  on  the  floor.  Rothschild 
and  his  friends  became  greatly  alarmed. 
Efforts  were  at  once  made  to  restore  and 
remove  the  would-be  drunkard  ;  but 
Lucas  was  too  good  an  actor,  and  was, 
therefore,  in  such  a  state  as  to  be  unfit 
to  be  moved  hither  or  thither.  "  Should 
a  physician  be  sent  for  ? "  asked  Roths- 
child. But  the  housekeeper  threw 
some  cold  water  into  Lucas's  face,  and 
the  patient  began  to  breathe  a  little 
more  naturally,  and  fell  into  a  sound, 
snoring  sleep.  He  was  covered,  and 
Rothschild  and  the  strangers  proceeded 
unsuspectingly  to  their  business. 

The  strangers  brought  the  good  in- 
telligence that  the  aflEairs  in  Spain  were 
all  right,  respecting  which  the  members 
of  the  exchange  were,  for  a  few  days 
previous,  very  apprehensive,  and  the 
funds  were  consequently  in  a  rapidly 
sinking  condition;  The  good  news, 
however,  could  not,  in  the  common 
course  of  dispatch,  be  publicly  known 
for  another  day.  Rothschild,  there- 
fore, planned  to  order  his  brokers  to 
buy  up,  cautiously,  all  the  stock  that 
should  be  in  market,  by  twelve  o'clock 
that  following  day.  He  sent  for  his 
principal  broker  thus  early,  in  order  to 
intrust  him  with  the  important  instruc- 
tions. The  broker  was  rather  tardier, 
however,  than  Rothschild's  patience 
could  brook;  he  therefore  determined 


to  go  himself.  As  soon  as  he  was  gone, 
Lucas  began  to  recover,  and  by  degrees 
was  able  to  get  up,  being  distracted,  as 
he  said,  "  with  a  violent  headache,"  and 
insisted,  in  spite  of  the  housekeeper's 
kind  expostulations,  upon  going  home. 
But  Lucas  also  went  to  his  broker,  and 
instructed  him  to  buy  all  the  stock  he 
could  get  by  ten  o'clock  the  following 
morning.  About  eleven  o'clock,  Lucas 
met  Rothschild,  and  inquired,  in  a 
satirical  manner,  how  he,  Rothschild, 
was  off  for  stock !  Lucas  won  the. 
day ;  and  Rothschild  is  said  never 
to  have  forgiven  what  he  termed 
"that  base,  dishonest,  and  nefarious 
stratagem." 


Financieriner  in  Alabama. 

In  the  times  of  1836,  there  dwelt  in 
a  pleasant  town  of  Alabama,  a  smooth, 
oily-mannered  gentleman,  who  diversi- 
fied a  common-place  pursuit  by  some 
exciting  episodes  of  finance — dealing 
occasionally  in  exchange  brokerage, 
buying  and  selling  uncurrent  money, 
&c.  His  name  may  be  supposed  to  be 
Thompson. 

It  happened  that  a  Mr.  Ripley,  of 
North  Carolina,  was  in  T.,  having  some 
$1,200  in  North  Carolina  money ;  and, 
desiring  to  return  to  the  old  North 
State  with  his  funds,  but  not  wishing 
to  encounter  the  risk  of  robbery  through 
the  Creek  country,  in  which  there  were 
rumors  of  hostilities  between  the  whites 
and  the  Indians,  he  bethought  him  of 
buying  exchange  on  Raleigh,  as  the 
safest  mode  of  transmitting  his  money. 
On  inquiry  he  was  referred  to  Mr. 
Thompson,  as  the  only  person  deal- 
ing in  exchange  in  that  place.  He 
called  on  Mr.  T.,  and  made  known  his 
wishes.  With  his  characteristic  polite- 
ness, Mr.  Thompson  agreed  to  accom- 
modate him  with  a  sight  bill  on  his 
correspondent  in  Raleigh,  charging  him 
the  moderate  premium  of  five  per  cent, 
for  it.  Mr.  Thompson  retired  into  his 
counting  room,  and  in  a  few  minutea 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


193 


returned  with  the  bill  and  a  letter, 
which  he  delivered  to  Mr.  Ripley,  at 
the  same  time  receiving  the  money 
from  that  gentleman,  plus  the  "  ex- 
change." As  the  interlocutors  were 
exchanging  valedictory  compliments, 
it  "  occurred  "  to  Mr.  Thompson  that 
it  would  be  a  favor  to  him  if  Mr.  Rip- 
ley would  be  so  kind  as  to  convey  to 
Mr.  T.'s  correspondent  a  package  of 
"  documents"  he  was  desirous  of  send- 
ing, which  request  Mr.  Ripley  assured 
Mr.  T.  it  would  afford  him  great  pleas- 
ure to  comply  with.  Mr.  Thompson 
then  handed  Mr.  Ripley  a  package, 
strongly  enveloped  and  sealed,  ad- 
dressed to  the  Raleigh  banker,  after 
which  the  gentlemen  parted  with  many 
polite  expressions  of  regard  and  civility. 

Arriving  without  any  accident  or 
hindrance  at  Raleigh,  Mr.  Ripley's  first 
care  was  to  call  on  the  banker  and  pre- 
sent his  documents.  He  found  him  at 
his  ofl5ce,  presented  the  bill  and  the 
letter  to  him,  and  requested  payment 
of  the  former.  "  That,"  said  the  bank- 
er, "will  depend  a  good  deal  upon 
the  contents  of  the  package  ; "  opening 
which,  Mr.  Ripley  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  the  identical  banknotes,  minus 
the  premium  he  had  paid  Mr.  T.  for  his 
bill,  and  which  the  banker  now  paid 
over  to  Mr.  R.  The  latter  was  not  a 
little  surprised  to  find  that  the  expert 
Mr.  Thompson  had  thus  charged  him 
five  per  cent,  for  carrying  his  own 
money  to  Raleigh,  to  avoid  the  risk 
and  trouble  of  which  he  had  bought 
the  exchange. 

T.  used  to  remark  that  that  was  the 
safest  operation,  all  around.  Tie  ever 
knew.  He  had  got  his  exchange — the 
buyer  had  got  his  bill  and  the  money, 
too, — and  the  drawee  was  fully  pro- 
tected I  There  was  profit  without  any 
outlay  or  risk. 


Italian  Picture  Dealer  Trapping:  an 
Experienced  Connoisseur. 

SiGNOK  A has  long  been  known 

as  one  of  the  most  facetious  London 
13 


dealers  in  pictures  and  other  objects  of 
art, — not  stopping  at  any  clever  ruse  by 
which  to  make  a  good  "  sell."  It  is 
related,  too,  that  one  of  his  boldest 
tricks  was  successfully  played  off  at  the 
expense  of  an  experienced  purchaser 
and  acknowledged  connoisseur,  the  late 

Mr.  C .    He  persuaded  the  latter  to 

look  at  a  picture  of  high  pretensions 
and  of  some  merit  in  his  house.  While 
they  were  discussing  it,  the  jingle  of 
posting  bells  was  heard  in  the  street, 
and  the  prolonged  crack  of  a  courier's 
whip    soon  echoed   in    the  doorway. 

A started,  rushed  out,  and  beheld 

an  express,  booted,  spurred,  and  splash- 
ed, who  handed  him  a  letter.  Tear- 
ing it  open,  he  appeared  struck  with 
confusion,  and  exclaimed : 

"  Well,  here  is  a  fine  scrape  I  have 
got  into ! " 

"What  is  the  matter?" 

"Why,  I  am  talking  about  selling 
you  this  picture,  and  here  is  the  courier 
sent  back  from  Ancona  to  buy  it,  by  a 
Russian  gentleman,  to  whom  I  offered 
it  last  week,  for  such  a  sum." 

The  price  was  a  large  one,  and  Mr. 
C.  would  not  have  thought  of  giving  it 
for  the  picture,  which  did  not  interest 
him  much  ;  but  so  ingeniously  did  Sig- 
ner A.  contrive  to  transfer  to  it  the  im- 
portance of  this  dramatic  scene,  that,  in 
the  excitement  of  the  moment,  a  bar- 
gain was-  struck,  and  the  Englishman 
went  off  chuckling  at  the  idea  of  hav- 
ing so  nicely  "  done  "  the  Russian, — the 
latter  being  an  imaginary  personage, 
and  his  courier  a  Roman  postboy,  hired 
to  gallop  up  in  the  nick  of  time  I 


James  Bolland's  Financial  Career. 

About  the  middle  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, one  of  the  most  constant  stock 
dealers  in  London,  although  in  a  small 
way,  was  James  BoUand;  a  man  of 
low  extraction,  but  of  great  mind,  of 
immense  impudence,  and  unrivalled 
crime.  There  was  nothing  at  which  he 
would  hesitate  to  obtain  money  with 


194 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


which  to  carry  on  his  stock  dealings ; 
and,  having  once  commenced,  he  soon 
found  that  the  legitimate  wants  of  his 
trade — that  of  a  butcher — were  not 
suflBcient  to  support  him.  He  formed, 
therefore,  a  wooden  weight,  which,  re- 
sembling one  of  fifty  pounds,  weighed 
only  seven,  and  thus,  in  his  capacity  of 
tradesman  to  one  of  the  public  institu- 
tions, practised  his  roguery  with  great 
success. 

From  butcher  he  turned  sheriff's 
officer,  revived  every  past  iniquity,  in- 
vented new  frauds,  and  employed  his 
money  in  buying  lottery  tickets,  to 
which  pursuit  he  was  occasio!ially  at- 
tached. He  robbed  the  broker  with 
whom  he  dealt,  alike  of  his  mistress 
and  his  money ;  and  with  the  latter 
bought  the  place  of  city  marshal.  The 
citizens,  however,  discovered  that  his 
integrity  was  scarcely  equal  to  his  im- 
pudence, and  refused  to  maintain  their 
bargain. 

Every  moment  he  could  spare  was 
passed  at  the  stock  market,  where  his 
schemes  were  marked  by  a  singularly 
bad  fortune.  Every  speculation  went 
against  him ;  he  never  drew  a  prize  in 
the  lottery ;  and,  finding  there  was  a 
chance  of  his  becoming  penniless,  he 
added  forgery  to  his  long  list  of  crimes. 
The  fraud  was  discovered,  and  he  paid 
the  penalty  of  his  life. 


Business  Hagrgrling'  in  Scotland. 

In  England,  when  an  article  is  offered 
for  sale,  it  is  immediately  purchased,  or 
at  once  rejected  as  being  too  dear.  But 
in  Scotland,  there  is  a  long  haggling 
and  cheapening  of  every  article  succes- 
sively offered.  The  purchaser  objects 
to  the  price.  He  will  not  buy.  The 
seller  urges  him,  but  does  not  offer  to 
make  any  reduction.  Says  he,  "  You 
are  over  dear,  sir ;  I  can  buy  the  same 
gudes  ten  per  cent,  lower ;  if  ye  like  to 
tak'  off  ten  per  cent.,  I'll  tak'  some  of 
these."  The  seller  tells  him  that  a  re- 
duction in  price  is  quite  out  of  the 


question,  and  puts  the  sample  of  the 
article  aside ;  but  the  Scotchman  wants 
it. 

"  Weel,  sir,  it's  a  terrible  price ;  but 
as  I  am  out  o'  it  at  present,  I'll  just  tak' 
a  little  till  I  can  be  supplied  cheaper, 
but  ye  maun  tak'  off  five  per  cent." 

"But,  sir,"  says  the  seller,  "would 
you  not  think  me  an  unconscionable 
knave,  to  ask  ten  per  cent,,  or  even  five 
per  cent.,  more  than  I  intended  to 
take  ? " 

He  laughs.  "Hoot,  hoot,  man,  do 
ye  expect  to  get  what  ye  ask  ?  Gude 
Lord  !  an'  I  was  able  to  get  half  what 
I  ask,  I  would  soon  be  rich.  Come, 
come,  I'll  gie  ye  within  two  an'  a  half 
per  cent,  of  your  ain  price,  and  gude 
faith,  mon,  ye'U  be  well  paid." 

He  is  told  by  the  seller  that  he  never 
makes  any  reduction  from  the  price  he 
first  demanded,  and  that  adherence  to 
such  a  rule  "  saves  much  trouble  to  both 
parties." 

"  Weel,  weel,"  says  he,  "  since  ye 
maun  hae  it  a'  your  ain  way,  I  maun 
e'en  tak'  the  article ;  but  really  I  think 
ye  are  over-keen." 

So  much  for  buyiog  and  selling — the 
settlement  is  another  affair  still,  at  a 
future  time,  as  will  now  be  seen : 

"  How  muckle  discount  do  ye  tak' 
aff,  sir  ? " 

"  Discount !  You  cannot  expect  it. 
The  account  has  been  standing  a 
twelve-month." 

"  Indeed,  but  I  do  expect  discount — 
pay  siller  without  discount !  Na,  na, 
sir,  that's  not  the  way  here ;  ye  maun 
deduct  five  per  cent." 

He  is  told  that  no  discount  at  all  is 
made.  "  Weel,  sir,  I'll  gie  ye  nae 
money  at  a'." 

Rather  than  go  without  a  settlement, 
the  seller  at  last  agrees  to  take  two  and 
one  half  per  cent,  from  the  amount, 
which  is  accordingly  deducted. 

"  I  hae  ten  shillings  doon  against  ye 
for  short  measure,  and  fifteen  shillings 
for  damages." 

"Indeed,    these   are   heavy   deduc- 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


195 


tions;  but  if  you  say  that  you  shall 
lose  to  that  amount,  I  suppose  that  it 
must  be  allowed." 

"  Oh,  aye,  it's  a'  right ;  then,  sir, 
eight  shillings  and  four  pence  for  pack- 
sheet,  and  thirteen  shillings  for  car- 
riage and  postage." 

"These  last  items  are  astonishing. 
What,  sir,"  said  the  seller,  "  are  we  to 
pay  all  the  charges  in  your  business  ?  " 

But  if  these  are  not  allowed,  he  will 
not  pay  his  account ;  so  the  seller  ac- 
quiesces, resolving  within  himself  that, 
since  these  unfair  deductions  are  made 
at  settlement,  it  would  be  quite  fair  to 
charge  an  additional  price  to  cover  the 
extortion.  He  now  congratulates  himself 
on  having  concluded  his  business  with 
such  a  customer ;  but  is  disappointed- 

"  Hae  ye  a  stawmpe  ? "  asks  he. 

"  A  stamp, — for  what  ? " 

"  Just  to  draw  ye  a  bill,"  he  replies. 

"A  bill,  my  good  sir!  I  took  off 
two  and  one-half  per  cent,  on  the  faith 
of  being  paid  in  cash."  But  he  says  it 
is  the  custom  of  his  place  to  pay  in 
bills,  and  sits  down  and  draws  a  bill 
at  three  months  after  date,  payable  at 
his  own  shop. 

"  And  what  can  I  do  with  this  ? " 

"  Oh,  ye  may  tak'  it  to  Sir  William's, 
and  he'll  discount  it  for  you,  on  paying 
him  three  months'  mterest." 

"  And  what  can  I  do  with  his  notes  ? " 

"  He'll  gie  ye  a  bill  in  London,  at 
forty-five  days." 

"  So,  sir,  after  allowing  you  twelve 
months'  credit,  and  two  and  a  half  per 
cent,  discount,  and  exorbitant  charges 
which  you  have  no  claim  on  us  to  pay, 
I  must  be  content  with  a  bill  which  we 
are  not  to  cash  for  four  months  and  a 
half!" 

"  Weel,  weel — and  now,  sir,"  says  he, 
"  if  ye  are  going  to  your  inn,  I'll  gang 
wi'  ye,  and  tak'  a  glass  of  wine." 


Dutchman  Ulustrating:  a  Mercantile 
Principle. 

An  anecdote  is  told  of  a  German, 

who,  after  it  was  known  that  a  certain 


bank  in  Buffalo  had  closed  its  doors, 
went  to  one  of  the  largest  furniture 
establishments,  and  purchased  articles 
amounting  to  $2.75,  for  which  he  off- 
handedly proffered  a  five  dollar  bill  of 
said  bank  in  payment.  The  clerk  re- 
fused to  take  it,  and  the  Dutchman  in- 
sisted that  it  was  ay^  right,  saying : 

"It  ish  goot;  te  pank  will  open; 
deres  lots  of  beeples  dere ;  de  pank  ish 
opening  already." 

StUl  the  clerk  persisted  in  his  refusal 
to  take  the  bill.  The  proprietor,  hear- 
ing the  discussion,  put  in  his  oar,  and 
the  Teuton  went  through  with  his  for- 
mer lingo.  Knowing  that  the  bills  are 
well  secured  against  loss  to  the  holders, 
he  finally  accepted  the  bill,  and  offered 
as  change  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  in  spe- 
cie, and  a  two  dollar  bill  on  the  same 
bank.  The  German  was  taken  aback 
for  a  moment,  but  finally  said : 

"  Ich  no  take  dat." 

"  But  you  must  take  this,  or  the  one 
you  gave  me  is  also  bad,"  said  the 
dealer. 

'^'^  I  don't  know  as  de  pank  ish  so  goot  as 
it  vas,''^  said  Diedrich. 

"Well,  you  must  take  this  bill,  or 
trade  it  out  in  those  small  chairs,"  said 
the  furniture  dealer,  pointing  to  some 
juvenile  affairs  with  round  holes  in 
their  seats,  and  at  which  the  Dutchman 
was  intently  gazing  (he  had  a  brood  of 
children), 

"Veil,  I  dink  I'U  dake  de  shairs," 
and  he  took  them. 

This  anecdote  illustrates  the  fact  of 
the  dislike  of  no  small  portion  of  man- 
kind to  swallow  their  own  arguments, 
and  illustrates  a  mercantile  principle 
that  much  is  good  to  dispose  of,  which 
it  were  quite  undesirable  to  obtain. 


Deadhead  Customer— a  Clincher. 

Years  ago,  there  dwelt  in  a  certain 
town  a  divine,  notorious  for  his  parsi- 
moniousness,  which  would  sometimes 
run  to  almost  fabulous  extremes. 

One  day,  this  doctor  of  divinity 
stepped  into  a  hat  store  in  New  York, 


196 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


and,  after  inimmaging  over  the  stock, 
selected  an  ordinary  looking  hat,  put 
it  on  his  reverend  head,  ogled  himself 
in  the  glass,  then  asked  the  very  lowest 
price  of  it,  telling  the  vendor,  that  if  he 
could  get  it  cheap  enough  he  thought 
he  might  buy  it. 

"  But,"  said  the  Jiatter,  "  that  hat  is 
not  good  enough  for  you  to  wear — here 
is  what  you  want,"  showing  one  of  his 
best  beavers. 

"  'Tis  the  best  I  can  afford  though," 
returned  the  theologian. 

"  Well,  there,  doctor,  I'll  make  you  a 
present  of  that  best  beaver,  if  you'll 
wear  it,  and  tell  whose  store  it  came 
from ;  I'll  warrant  you'll  send  me  cus- 
tomers enough  to  get  my  money  back 
with  interest ;  you  are  pretty  extensive- 
ly acquainted." 

"  Thank  you — thank  you  ! "  said  the 
doctor,  his  eyes  gleaming  with  pleasure 
at  raising  a  castor  so  cheaply ;  "  how 
much,  however,  may  this  be  worth  ?  " 

"  We  sell  that  kind  of  hat  for  eight 
dollars,"  replied  the  man  of  the  nap. 

"  And  the  other  ? "  continued  the 
customer. 

«  Three." 

The  man  of  sermons  put  on  the  bea- 
ver, looked  in  the  glass,  then  at  the 
three  dollar  hat. 

"  I  think,  sir,"  said  he,  taking  off  the 
beaver,  and  holding  it  in  one  hand,  as 
lie  donned  the  cheap  '  tile,'  "  I  think, 
sir,  that  this  hat  will  answer  my  pur- 
pose fuU  as  well  as  the  best." 

"  But  you'd  better  take  the  best  one, 
sir,  it  costs  you  no  more." 

"B-u-t — bu-t,"  replied  the  parson, 
hesitatingly,  "  I  didn't  know — but — 
perhaps — you  would  as  lief  I  would 
take  the  cheap  one,  and  leave  the  other 
— and,  perhaps,  you  would  not  mind 
giving  me  the  difference  in  a  Jive  dollar 

mir' 


Determining'  the  Character  of  an  Arti- 
cle by  its  Aere. 

Quite  a  good  story  is  told — and  will 
bear  telling  again — of  old  Bunce,  who 


prided  himself  upon  never  being  mis- 
taken in  his  judgment  of  a  person's 
character  from  the  phiz.  He  was  in 
Washington  market.  New  York,  one 
day,  to  get  a  goose  for  dinner.  In 
looking  about,  he  saw  a  lot  before  a 
young  woman  who  had  a  peculiarly 
fine,  open  countenance.  "  She's  hon- 
est," said  Bunce  to  himself;  and  at 
once  asked  her  if  she  had  a  nice  young 
goose.  "  Yes,"  said  she  ;  "  here's  as 
fine  a  one  as  you  will  get  in  the  mar- 
ket,"— and  she  looked  up  in  his  face 
with  that  perfect  sincerity  that  would 
at  once  have  won  his  confidence,  had 
he  not  already  and  at  first  sight  made 
up  his  mind  as  to  her  character. 
"  You're  sure  it's  young  ? "  "  To  be 
sure  it  is ; "  and  Bunce  took  it  home. 
All  efforts  to  eat  it  were  fruitless,  it  was 
so  tough  ;  and  the  next  day  he  was  at 
the  market  betimes,  angry  with  him- 
self, and  more  so  with  the  honest-faced 
girl  who  had  cheated  him.  "Didn't 
you  tell  me  that  goose  was  young,  yes- 
terday ? "  he  exclaimed,  stalking  up  to 
the  girl  wrathfully.  "To  be  sure  I 
did."  "  You  cheated  me,"  said  Bunce 
as  quickly ;  "  it  was  a  tough  old  gan- 
der," "You  don't  call  me  old,  do 
you  ? "  she  asked.  "  No — I  should 
think  not,"  he  replied.  "No—/ 
should  think  not,  too.  I  am  only 
twenty,  and  mother  told  me  that  goose 
was  hatched  just  six  months  after  I 
was  born."  Bunce  had  forgotten  that 
a  goose  lives  a  hundred  years. 


"Genuine"  "Wines. 

The  substitution  of  other  wines  for 
port  was,  it  seems,  practised  in  "  great- 
grandfather's day  "  quite  as  extensively 
as  at  present.  In  an  official  investiga- 
tion into  the  manufacture  of  wines  by 
the  English  authorities  a  while  ago, 
one  witness,  who  had  been  engaged  for 
many  years  in  importing  "  Masdeu,"  a 
red  wine  from  Roussillon,  told  the  fol- 
lowing curious  story : 

When  I  got  to  the  port  of  shipment, 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS   IMMORALITIES. 


197 


Port  Veadres,  I  found  very  extensive 
warehouses  constructed ;  and  as  it  was 
in  a  very  outlandish  place,  with  not 
more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  in- 
habitants in  the  port  of  shipment,  such 
warehouses  struck  me  as  very  remark- 
able. I  inquired  why  these  warehouses 
were  built,  and  I  was  told  that  they 
had  been  put  up  by  the  proprietor's 
father — ^the  age  of  the  present  proprie- 
tor was  eighty-five.  I  inquired  for 
what  purpose  the  father  had  built  them, 
and  I  was  informed  that  he  had  built 
them  in  connection  with  a  countryman 
of  my  own,  a  Mr.  Ireland.  "  Had  I 
ever  heard  of  Mr.  Ireland?"  My  an- 
swer was,  no.  But  upon  further  in- 
quiry, I  was  told  that  Mr.  Ireland  and 
his — ^Mr.  Durand's  —  father  had  had 
large  transactions  in  wine,  and  that 
Mr.  I.  stated  that  he  wanted  a  wine  for 
the  supply  of  the  troops  and  the  navy, 
and  I  was  told  fine  old  wine.  Upon  my 
return  to  this  country  I  went  to  the  late 
Mr.  George  Hathom,  than  whom  a  more 
respectable  man  never  existed  in  any 
trade :  being  a  very  old  man,  I  ques- 
tioned him  if  he  had  ever  heard  of  Mr. 
Ireland.  He  said,  "  Yes ;  he  recollect- 
ed Mr.  Ireland  had  commenced  life  at 
Bristol  in  a  very  obscure  position,  and 
died  one  of  the  richest  men  in  it." 

"What  course  of  trade  did  he  fol- 
low ? " 

"  He  was  an  importer  of  red  wines." 

"  Port  wines  ?  " 

"  Port  wines." 

"  What  reputation  had  his  wines  in 
the  market  ?  " 

"  They  were  of  the  highest  classP 

Yet  the  old  gentleman  could  not 
seem  to  tell  why — it  certainly  was  not 
from  any  want  of  funds — but,  all  at 
once,  the  house  suspended  its  prosperous 
operations. 

I  supplied  the  wanting  link;  he 
could  get  no  more  Roussillon  wines, 
as  the  first  French  revolution  hindered 
liiml 


Wliat  itHeans  to  be  "  Selling^  Off." 

One  of  those  generous,  disinteresteui, 
sacrificing  men,  who  had  flaringly  stuck 
upon  every  other  pane  of  glass  in  his 
shop,  "  Selling  ofi"— no  reasonable  offer 
refused — must  close  on  Saturday,"  once 
offered  himself  as  bail,  or  security,  in 
some  case  which  was  brought  before  a 
magistrate.  The  magistrate  asked  him 
if  he  was  worth  a  thousand  dollars :  he 
said,  yes.  "  But  you  are  about  to  re- 
move, are  you  not  ?  "  "  No."  "  Why, 
you  announce  that  you  are  '  Selling 
Off".' "  "  Yes — every  shopkeeper 's  sell- 
ing offl"  "You  say,  'No  reasonable 
offer  will  be  refused.'  ?'  "  Yes  ;  I 
should  be  very  unreasonable  if  I  did 
refuse  such  '  offers.'  "  "  But  you  say, 
'  must  close  on  Saturday.' "  "  To  be 
sure ;  you  would  not  have  me  open  on 
Sunday,  would  you  ? " 


Espionage  Practised  by  Girard. 

Girard's  oversight  of  his  hired 
hands  was  most  arbitrary  and  exact- 
ing. He  owned  a  farm  a  few  miles 
from  his  residence  in  Philadelphia, 
which  he  kept  under  his  own  cultiva- 
tion. It  was  superintended  by  a  farmer 
who  resided  on  the  place,  to  which  the 
owner  often  drove  out  to  see  how  affairs 
were  going  on.  He  not  imfrequently 
went  in  the  morning — before  breakfast. 
On  one  of  those  occasions,  coming  out 
perhaps  somewhat  earlier  than  usual, 
on  arriving  at  a  piece  of  stone  fence 
which  he  was  building  along  the  road- 
side, he  found  his  farmer  absent.  He 
immediately  drove  to  the  house,  fasten- 
ed his  horse,  and  went  in,  searching  the 
house  for  him,  not  overlooking  those 
parts  where  he  suspected  the  man 
might.be  found.  Disappointed  in  his 
search,  he  mounted  his  chaise  and  re- 
turned to  the  fence — and,  lo  !  the  man 
was  found  very  diligently  at  his  work. 

"  Ah  !  how  is  this  ? "  said  the  keen- 
eyed  overseer ;  "  you  were  too  late  at 
your  work,  this  morning.   I  have  driven 


198 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


out  of  town  already,  and  you  were  not 
here,"  "  Oh,  yes,  Mr.  Girard,"  says  the 
man,  "  I  had  been  here,  but  I  had  only 
stepped  aside  for  a  few  moments,  to  get 
something  that  I  wanted,  when  you 
passed  by."  "  You  do  lie  ! "  said  the 
keen-eyed  master.  ^'- 1  did  go  arid  put 
my  hand  in  your  bed,  and  it  was  warm.^'' 
The  man  had  been  informed  by  his 
wife,  of  Girard's  coming,  when  he 
jumped  up  in  a  hurry,  and  ran  to  his 
work.  But  Girard  was  too  cute  for 
him. 


Quaker  Ship  Owner  Economiziiig  the 
Time  of  his  Hen. 

There  was  once  a  wealthy  ship  owner 
in  New  Bedford,  a  member  of  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  and  now  deceased, 
who  was  very  remarkable  for  economiz- 
ing the  time  of  his  hired  men.  He  had 
one  of  his  ships  hove  down  to  the  wharf 
to  repair  and  copper.  It  was  a  cold 
winter's  day,  and  there  was  a  plank  ex- 
tending from  the  wharf  to  the  floating 
stages  around  the  ship,  on  which  the 
carpenters  and  caulkers  were  at  work. 
Among  the  men  was  one  by  the  name 
of  John,  a  man-of-all-work,  a  man  of 
color,  and  on  free  and  easy  terms  with 
his  master.  John  was  carrying  matters 
and  things  up  and  down  a  slippery 
plank  to  the  workmen,  when  he  slid 
of  a  sudden  and  shot,  heels  over  head, 
into  the  water.  The  old  Quaker  saw 
him,  and  as  John  came  up  to  blow, 
called  out  to  him,  "  Don't  make  a  noise, 
John,  you'll  stop  the  men  in  their  work 
— keep  quiet,  and  I'll  help  thee  out." 

As  good  or  bad  luck  would  have  it, 
the  same  day,  the  kind  Quaker  was 
coming  down  the  plank,  and  away  he 
went,  souse  into  the  briny  deep.  But 
John  was  close  by,  and  as  his  master 
rose  to  the  surface,  and  looked  the  image 
of  ghastliness  and  despair,  the  tantaliz- 
ing negro  put  on  a  long  face,  and  cried, 
"  Master,  don't  make  a  noise,  to  call  off 
the  men.  I'll  help  thee  out."  And  so 
he  did,  while  the  *'  men "  wovM  look 
on,  laughing  at  the  fim. 


"  A  Little  More." 

A  New  England  merchant,  who  had 
accumulated  a  vast  property  by  care 
and  industry,  yet  still  was  as  busy  as 
ever,  in  adding  vessel  to  vessel  and 
store  to  store,  though  considerably  ad- 
vanced in  life  being  asked  by  a  neigh- 
bor, how  much  property  would  satisfy 
a  human  being  ? — after  a  short  pause 
replied,  "  A  little  more.''^ 


Boyal  Prize  for  Kaisingr  Money— Raid 
upon  the  Bankers. 

At  one  period  of  his  reign,  being 
very  much  distressed  for  money,  and 
despairing  of  obtaining  any  from  the 
House  of  Commons,  King  Charles  the 
Second  declared,  in  a  private  meeting 
with  his  ministers,  that  if  any  of  them 
would  invent  a  method  by  which  to 
raise  about  one  million  and  a  half 
pounds,  without  a  parliament,  he 
should  have  the  "White  Staff,"  or, 
in  other  words,  the  lord  treasurer's 
place.  On  the  day  following.  Lord 
Ashley  told  Sir  Thomas  Clifford,  in 
confiderLce,  that  there  was  a  way  to  sup- 
ply the  king  immediately  with  such  a 
sum  ;  but  that  it  was  hazardous  to  put 
it  in  practice,  and  might  draw  a  train 
of  ill  consequences  along  with  it,  by  in- 
flaming both  the  parliament  and  the 
people. 

Sir  Thomas  was  impatient  to  know 
the  secret,  being  bold  and  courageous, 
entirely  in  the  French  interest,  and 
pleased  with  anything  that  might  ren- 
der the  king  unpopular  with  the  par- 
liament. Therefore,  to  discover  the 
project,  he  plied  his  lordship  with  wine 
to  excess,  and  then  led  the  conversation 
to  the  subject  of  the  king's  wants. 
Lord  Ashley  unguardedly  dropped  the 
important  secret. 

The  hint  was  immediately  taken  by 
Sir  Thomas,  who  left  his  lordship,  went 
directly  to  the  king,  and,  falling  on  his 
knees,  he  demanded  the  white  staflF, 
according  to  promise.  Hia  majesty 
cried  out : 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


199 


"  Odds  fish  !  I'll  be  as  good  as  my 
word,  if  you  can  find  the  money." 

Sir  Thomas  then  informed  his  royal 
master  that  the  hankers  had  a  million 
and  a  half  pounds  in  his  majesty's  ex- 
chequer, which  money  he  had  an  oppor- 
tmiity  of  seizing,  by  closing  the  ex- 
chequer, and  refusing  to  pay  the  bank- 
ers. To  this  project  the  king"  readily 
assented;  and  at  a  privy  council,  his 
majesty  being  present,  Sir  Thomas  pro- 
posed, "  That,  as  the  king  must  have 
money  to  carry  on  the  war  against  Hol- 
land, in  which  his  honor  was  staked,  he 
knew  of  no  other  means  at  present  than 
shutting  up  the  exchequer.  He  desired 
none  would  speak  against  it  without 
proposing  some  method  more  certain 
and  expeditious."  The  king,  after 
many  apologies  for  this  bold  step,  de- 
clared that  "  it  should  only  be  for  the 
space  of  one  whole  year,  and  that  then 
no  new  orders  shall  interfere  to  break 
the  course  of  such  property." 

This  conduct  filled  every  one — espe- 
cially the  business  classes — with  con- 
sternation and  dismay,  and  it  was  de- 
clared that  the  crown  had  published 
its  own  bankruptcy.  The  money  thus 
forcibly  seized  did,  in  point  of  fact,  be- 
long to  the  trading  community;  and 
the  failure  of  the  bankers,  which  was 
the  natural  result,  caused,  for  a  time, 
a  general  suspension  of  all  monetary 
transactions.  Sir  Thomas  Cliflford,  for 
his  services  in  the  affair,  was,  according 
to  the  promise  of  the  king,  made  lord 
high  treasurer  and  a  peer. 


Ingrenious  Swindling  of  Pawnbrokers. 

The  plundering  of  pawnbrokers  has 
been  reduced  to  quite  a  system  in  Lon- 
don by  the  "  profession."  The  parties, 
it  seems,  are  in  the  habit  of  sending  to 
auction  rooms,  for  sale,  cases  of  very 
handsome  medals  and  coins,  finely  fin- 
ished, to  represent  gold.  On  the  day 
of  the  sale,  some  of  the  party  attend, 
bid  a  high  price  for  the  article,  and,  of 
course,  become  the  purchasers.    They 


then  request  the  auctioneer  to  give  a 
guaranty  that  they  are  gold,  and  he, 
not  having  any  suspicions,  at  once  gives 
the  necessary  certificate.  The  next  step 
of  the  swindler  is  to  go  to  a  pawnbrok- 
er's and  pledge  the  articles  foy  the  price 
they  could  fetch  if  they  were  gold,  at 
the  same  time  producing  the  auc- 
tioneer's certificate,  which  completely 
throws  the  pawnbroker  off  his  guard. 


Jack's  Barguin  for  Hope. 

In  one  of  our  stores  there  is  a  mis- 
chievous young  fellow  by  the  name  of 
George,  who  now  and  then  acts  as  sales- 
man. If  his  numerous  friends  ever 
make  game  of  his  short  legs,  they  at 
least  never  deny  him  the  possession  of 
a  long  head.  There  came  into  the 
store  one  day  a  roving  son  of  the  sea, 
inquiring  for  rope.  George  immediate- 
ly offered  his  services,  and  led  him  back 
to  where  the  rope,  in  snaky  folds,  lay 
coiled.  The  sailor  soon  found  the 
right  size,  and  asked  the  price.  The 
selling  price  was  twelve  cents  the 
pound;  but  George,  with  an  eye  to 
the  principles  of  merchandising  in 
general,  and  the  custom  of  Israelites 
in  particular,  was  willing  to  put  it  to 
him  at  fifteen  cents.  To  this  the  tar 
made  no  objection,  and  said  he  would 
take  sixty  fathoms  ;  but  as  it  was  pret- 
ty well  buried  beneath  a  lot  of  old  and 
somewhat  heavy  "  truck,"  he  very  natu- 
rally inquired, "  How'll  you  get  it  out  ?  " 
Just  then  a  bright  idea  shot  through 
the  aforesaid  long  head  of  George,  and 
sparkled  for  a  moment  in  his  eyes,  while 
he  drawled  out  most  innocently,  "  "Well, 
if  you'll  pull  it  all  out  yo-ur-self,  you 
may  have  it  at  twelve  cents,"  "Whereat 
the  sailor,  economically  inclined,  com- 
menced a  half-hour's  tugging  and  haul- 
ing at  the  buried  rope  ;  while  George, 
more  humorously  inclined,  enjoyed  a 
good  half-hour's  quiet  fun. 


200 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Determined  not  to  be  overreached. 

There  lives,  not  a  thousand  miles 
from  "Gotham,"  a  dealer  in  small 
wares,  whose  greatest  fear  is  that  of 
being  overreached.  He  goes  without 
milk  in  his  coffee,  in  dread  of  buying  a 
spoonful  of  Croton,  and  never  pays  a 
newspaper  subscription,  lest  it  should 
not  be  published  to  the  end  of  the  year. 
His  little  shop  is  without  gas,  for  he 
has  no  faith  in  the  meter ;  and  he  even 
dips  his  own  candles,  to  insure  that 
they  are  all  tallow.  In  one  thing  he  is 
liberal ;  he  makes  large  purchases  of 
counterfeit  detectors,  and  buys  an  "  ex- 
tra "  if  there  are  any  whisperings  of  a 
broken  bank.  A  neighbor  of  his  was 
imposed  upon  the  other  day  with  a 
bank  note  which  had  been  ingeniously 
altered  from  one  to  five ;  and  the  dealer 
had  been  sharply  on  the  watch  ever 
since,  for  fear  of  a  similar  imposition. 
The  other  day,  a  young  girl  from  the 
country  stepped  into  his  store  and  pur- 
chased a  pair  of  stockings,  offering  a 
one  dollar  note  in  payment.  The  old 
man  eyed  the  girl  so  penetratingly  that 
her  face  became  suffused  with  blushes, 
and  this  was,  to  him,  acknowledgment 
of  guilt. 

"HowfZare  you  offer  me  thi^?"  he 
asked,  in  an  angry  tone. 

"  I  thought  it  was  good,"  she  an- 
swered timidly  and  with  quivering  lip. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  it  ? "  asked 
a  bystander,  who  had  been  attracted  by 
the  dispute  ;  "  it  looks  like  a  genuine 
note." 

"  Genuine  enough,"  said  the  shop- 
keeper, his  face  crimson  with  passion . 
"  but,  don't  you  see — it's  a  one  altered 
from  a  twenty  !  " 


Jenuny  Taylor,  the  Uiser  Banker,  and 
the  Earl  of  Northumberland. 

One  of  the  longest,  though  not  best, 
remembered  of  the  old  English  stock- 
brokers was  Jemmy  Taylor.  So  acute 
and  cunning  did  he  become  in  all  the 
trickery  pertaining  to  that  kind  of  busi- 


ness, that  his  profits  were  immense,  and 
his  wealth  prodigious.  He  was  as  pe- 
nurious as  he  was  rich,  and  as  wretch- 
ed in  his  personal  appearance  and  his 
mode  of  living  as  a  pauper.  A  short 
time  after  the  American  war,  it  is  said 
that  the  Earl  of  Northumberland,  hav- 
ing occasion  for  about  half  a  million 
dollars,  applied  to  a  broker,  who  ac- 
cordingly appointed  a  certain  day  for 
the  transfer.  At  the  time  and  place  for 
meeting,  there  was  posted  in  waiting, 
old  Jemmy  Taylor,  who,  in  appearance, 
resembled  some  itinerant  vendor  of 
matches.  Upon  the  Duke's  arrival,  the 
broker  brought  Jemmy  the  banker  for- 
ward to  his  grace,  who,  not  knowing 
him,  thought  he  was  a  beggar,  and  was 
about  to  bestow  a  trifle  ujion  him,  when 
he  was  informed  that  he  was  "  a  warm 
man."  His  grace  immediately  shook 
hands  vpith  the  dirty  usurer,  and  Jem- 
my accommodated  him  with  £74,000 
out  of  one  stock,  in  the  four  per  cents., 
and  from  whence,  as  it  appeared  by  the 
books,  he  could  have  sold  out  as  much 
more,  and  yet  have  had  an  abundance 
left.  He  used  to  say,  that  "  if  his  suc- 
cessors had  as  much  pleasure  in  spend- 
ing his  property,  as  he  had  in  hoarding 
it  up,  they  need  not  complain  of  their 
hard  lot  in  the  world."  It  does  not  ap- 
pear that  they  were  ever  known  to  utter 
such  a  complaint  after  Jemmy's  death. 


Accomplished  Canine  Shoplifter. 

A  gentleman  in  Edinburgh  owned 
a  handsome  spaniel,  which  he  had 
bought  from  a  dealer  in  dogs.  The 
animal  had  been  educated  to  steal  for 
the  benefit  of  its  protector ;  but  it  was 
some  time  ere  his  new  master  became 
aware  of  this  irregularity  of  morals, 
and  he  was  not  a  little  astonished  and 
teased  by  its  constantly  bringing  home 
articles  of  which  it  had  felonious- 
ly obtained  possession.  Perceiving,  at 
length,  that  the  animal  proceeded  sys- 
tematically in  this  sort  of  behavior,  he 
used  to  amuse  his  friends,  by  causing 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


201 


the  spaniel  to  give  proof  of  its  sagacity 
in  the  Spartan  art  of  privately  stealing, 
putting,  of  course,  the  shopkeepers, 
where  he  meant  the  dog  should  exer- 
cise this  faculty,  on  their  guard  as  to 
the  issue. 

The  process  was  curious.  As  soon 
as  the  dog's  master  entered  the  shop, 
the  animal  seemed  to  avoid  all  appear- 
ance of  recognizing  or  acknowledging 
any  connection  with  him,  but  lounged 
about  in  an  indolent,  disengaged,  and 
indifferent  sort  of  manner,  as  if  having 
come  of  its  own  accord,  into  the  shop. 
In  the  course  of  looking  over  some 
wares,  the  master  indicated  by  a  touch 
on  the  parcel  and  a  look  toward  the 
spaniel,  that  which  he  desired  the  dog 
should  appropriate,  and  then  left  the 
shop.  The  dog,  whose  watchful  eye 
caught  the  hint  in  an  instant,  instead 
of  following  his  master  out  of  the  shop, 
continued  to  sit  at  the  door  or  lie  by 
the  fire,  watching  the  counter,  until 
observing  the  attention  of  the  people 
of  the  shop  was  withdrawn  from  the 
prize  to  be  secured.  Whenever  he  saw 
an  opportunity  of  doing  so,  as  he  imag- 
ined, unobserved,  he  never  failed  to 
jump  upon  the  counter  with  his  fore 
feet,  possess  himself  of  the  gloves,  or 
whatever  else  had  been  pointed  out  to 
him,  and  escape  from  the  shop  to  join 
his  master. 


"  No  Great  Judgre  of  de  Hemp." 

It  was  one  of  Girard's  ideas  of  suc- 
cess in  business,  that  there  was  no  stage 
in  the  process  of  the  exchange  of  equiv- 
alents in  trading,  that  might  not  be 
made  to  him  an  opportunity  of  present 
profit. ' 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  a  merchant 
who  had  purchased  of  Girard  a  large 
quantity  of  hemp,  sent  a  black  man  to 
superintend  the  weighing  and  loading 
of  it.  Girard  was  busy  himself  in  put- 
ting it  upon  the  scales,  but  a  great  part 
of  it  being  damaged,  the  negro  man 
watched  him   closely,  and  whenever 


Girard  threw  on  a  bad  bundle,  the  ne- 
gro would  carefully  throw  it  off.  But 
this,  Girard,  of  course,  would  not  sub- 
mit to,  and  would  proceed  to  replace 
it,  whilst  the  negro,  in  his  turn,  would 
as  quickly  fling  it  off— until,  losing  his 
patience,  he  commenced  cursing  the 
negro,  and  declared  he  should  not 
touch  the  hemp,  at  the  risk  of  chastise- 
ment. But  Sambo,  nothing  intimidat- 
ed by  the  threats  of  the  rich  merchant, 
continued  to  look  after  his  master's  in- 
terest, telling  Girard  that  if  he  ventured 
to  touch  him,  he  would  knock  his  other 
eye  out.  Girard  became  pacified,  and 
seeing  the  determined  purpose  of  the 
man  not  to  suffer  his  employer  to  be 
wronged,  he  became  reconciled  to  the 
negro,  saying : 

"Well,  I  believe  you  be  one  very 
honest  feUow,  but  you  no  be  one  great 
judge  of  de  hemp." 

On  another  occasion  of  the  same 
kind,  the  purchaser  of  his  hemp  ap- 
peared to  be  somewhat  less  inflexible 
than  Sambo.  Owing  to  some  peculiar 
circumstances  existing  between  the  par- 
ties, the  damaged  hemp  was  taken  by 
a  ship  chandler,  Girard  insisting  that 
he  would  give  no  other ;  and  very  lit- 
tle, or  none  of  the  article  being  in  the 
market,  the  buyer  was  obliged  to  sub- 
mit to  his  eccentric  humor,  and  take  it 
as  he  gave  it,  or  get  none.  It  happen- 
ed, however,  that  this  ship  chandler 
manufactured  all  Mr.  Girard's  cordage, 
and  in  order  to  mete  out  to  him  meas- 
ure for  measure^  he  ordered  the  damaged 
hemp  to  be  selected  and  made  up  for 
Mr.  Girard.  This  was  done ;  and  the 
retribution  no  doubt  proved  a  more 
serious  loss,  than  the  profit  on  the  un- 
merchantable hemp  amounted  to. 


Raisingr  the  Price  of  Bread. 

Some  years  ago,  the  bread  dealers  in 
Lyons  thought  that  they  could  prevail 
on  M.  Dugas,  the  provost  of  the  mer- 
chants in  that  city,  to  befriend  them  at 
the  expense  of  the  public.    They  wait- 


202 


COMMERCIAL   AND   BUSINESS   ANECDOTES. 


ed  upon  him  in  a  body,  and  begged 
leave  to  raise  the  price  of  bread,  which 
could  not  be  done  without  the  sanction 
of  that  magistrate.  M.  Dugas  told 
them  that  he  would  examine  their 
petition,  and  give  them  an  early  an- 
swer. The  bakers  then  retired,  having 
first  left  upon  the  table  a  good  fat 
purse  of  two  hundred  louis  d'or,  in- 
tended as  private  pocket  money  for 
the  provost. 

In  a  few  days  the  bakers  called  upon 
the  magistrate  for  an  answer,  not  in  the 
least  doubting  but  that  the  money  had 
very  eflfectually  pleaded  their  cause. 
*'  Gentlemen,"  said  M.  Dugas,  "  I  have 
weighed  your  reasons  in  the  balance 
of  justice,  and  I  find  them  light.  I  do 
not  think  the  people  ought  to  suffer 
Tinder  a  pretence  of  the  dearness  of 
com,  which  I  know  to  be  unfounded ; 
and  as  to  the  purse  of  money  left  with 
me,  I  am  sure  that  I  have  made  such  a 
generous  and  noble  use  of  it,  as  you 
yourself  intended :  I  have  distributed 
it  among  the  poor  objects  of  charity  in 
our  two  hospitals.  As  you  are  opulent 
enough  to  make  such  large  donations, 
I  cannot  possibly  think  you  are  incur- 
ring any  losses  in  your  business ;  and 
I  shall,  therefore,  continue  the  price  of 
bread  as  it  was  before  I  received  your 
petition." 


Trickery  in  the  Clothing:  Trade. 

A  GENTLEMAN  from  the  country,  who 
makes  a  visit  to  Gotham  cnce  a  year, 
dropped  into  a  fine  looking  clothing 
establishment  in  that  city,  to  buy  a 
coat.  Seeing  one  which  pleased  him, 
he  inquired  the  price,  which  the  tailor 
stated  to  be  thirty  dollars.  Not  exact- 
ly approving  of  that  price  for  the  coat, 
the  seller  fell  to  twenty-five  dollars,  and 
finally  to  twenty,  at  which  price  the 
coat  was  knocked  down  to  him,  as  a 
bargain.  It  was  immediately  "  bundled 
up,"  and  the  money  paid  for  it,  the 
buyer  stating  it  to  be  his  intention  to 
leave  the  city  in  a  few  hours.    On  ar- 


riving at  his  hotel,  he  thought  he  would 
examine  the  bundle  he  received ;  when, 
lo  !  on  imfolding  the  same,  what  a  sight 
met  his  gaze  !  two  old  tweed  coats^  worth 
three  or  four  dollars,  looked  up  pitifully 
in  unconscious  guilt,  into  his  astonished 
face.  How  he  felt,  one  might  imagine ; 
and  mentioning  the  circumstances  to 
the  clerk  in  attendance  at  the  hotel  in 
which  he  supped  and  lodged,  he  was 
informed  that  such  a  thing  was  of  daily 
occurrence.  In  a  moment  more,  the 
buyer  was  on  his  way,  with  his  "  bar- 
gain," to  the  self-styled  fashionable 
clothing  establishment,  and,  on  enter- 
ing, accosted  the  man  who  sold  him  a 
fine  Mack  Tyroadcloth  coat,  with  a  "  Well, 
how  do  you  do,  sir  ?  "  This  pleasing 
salut,  instead  of  receiving  a  salutation 
in  return,  equally  as  pleasant  and  agree- 
able, together  with  a  desire  to  be  hap- 
py to  see  a  customer  return  again,  was 
met  with  an  indifference  which  showed 
to  the  customer  that  there  was  no  dis- 
position or  willingness  manifested  to  know 
him  !  Calmly,  however,  he  proceeded 
to  play  Tiis  game  upon  the  Peter  Funk, 
or  "  clo'  man,"  by  informing  that  distin- 
guished dealer  in  fine  black  broadcloth 
coats,  that  he  had  come  back  to  his 
establishment  to  inform  him  of  a  mis- 
take that  he  had  committed  a  few 
hours  before,  in  selling  him  two  coats, 
when  he  had  only  bargained  for  and 
purchased  one  (here  the  clo'  man  be- 
came twitchy  and  somewhat  uneasy) — 
that  being  a  man  who  desired  only 
what  was  right,  his  moral  scruples 
would  not  permit  him  to  go  away  with- 
out returning  and  satisfying  (here  the 
Peter  Funk  began  to  smell  a  Tartar !) 
the  error  that  had  been  committed. 
"  It  cannot  be  a  mistake ;  it  is  not  pos- 
sible ;  no,  sir ;  it  cannot  be,"  were  the 
expressions  of  the  Funk  at  the  close  of 
the  sentence  above.  "  Now,"  said  the 
customer,  energetically,  "  you — you — 
had,  no  doubt,  thought  that  you  had 
in  your  power  a  verdant  one  (here 
Funk  thought  he  was  about  to  catch  a 
Tartar),  and  that  an  opportvmity  was 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


203 


given  you  to  indulge  in  your  swindling 
operations,  expecting,  of  course,  that  I 
would  leave  tlie  city,  and  not  call  again, 
after  discovering  your  fraud  upon  my 
purse." 

The  Peter  Funk,  now  finding  that  he 
had  caught  a  Tartar,  began  making  ex- 
planations—  declaring  that  the  two 
coats  were  made  for  another  gentle- 
man, and  that  he  would  not  for  ten 
dollars  that  they  had  been  kept  out  of 
his  hands.  This  attempt  to  "  get  off," 
by  telling  a  downright  falsehood,  espe- 
cially in  face  of  the  fact  that  at  least  a 
dozen  of  bundles  were  on  the  counter, 
all  of  which,  doubtless,  were  intended 
to  be  "  changed  "  for  real  purchases,  as 
was  the  case  with  the  gentleman  in 
question,  did  not  "take."  Apologies 
not  suiting  that  individual,  he  depart- 
ed with  nothing  less  than  the  fine  coat 
he  had  purchased,  and  the  money  for 
which  was  even  then  warm  in  the  sel- 
ler's pocket. 

Pilibustering'  among'  Parisian  Jew- 
,     ellers. 

The  Parisian  jewellers  are  now  and 
then  the  victims  of  people  in  elevated 
stations — aristocratic,  titled,  possessed 
of  everything  to  avert  susjncion ;  and 
even  of  ladies  in  the  highest  social  cir- 
cles. These  swindlers  in  high-born 
position  find  it  convenient  to  take 
from  jewellers  what  money  bankers  and 
usurers  refuse  to  give  them.  They 
boldly  enter  the  jewellers'  shops,  pur- 
chase and  have  delivered  to  them  many 
bracelets  and  many  diamonds,  which 
they  will  return  in  a  few  days  (so  they 
say)  if  they  find  nothing  to  suit  them. 

The  objects  thus  intrusted  to  them 
go  from  the  shop,  after  delivery,  to  the 
pawnbrokers.  Time  passes  away ;  at 
first,  the  jeweller  hesitates  to  produce 
scandal,  and  he  accepts  notes  for  the 
goods  which  have  been  taken  as  good 
as  by  force  from  the  shop.  At  last  the 
notes  fall  due ;  they  are  protested. 
The  next  step  of  such  "  patrons  "  is  to 
offer  to  return  the  goods !    And  this  is 


at  the  end  of  ten  or  twelve  months, 
without  interest  or  damages.  So  that 
the  jewellers  become  the  bankers  of 
fashionable  ladies  and  gentlemen  press- 
ed for  money. 

As  an  example  of  this  kind  of  aristo- 
cratic filibustering,  it  is  mentioned  by 

a  dealer,  that  M.  de  took  sixty 

thousand  dollars'  worth  of  jewelry  from 
seven  or  eight  jewelry  shops  in  Paris. 
A  twelvemonth  passed  away,  and  noth- 
ing was  paid  ;  all  had  been  sent  to  the 
pawnbrokers.  Finally,  M.  de  of- 
fered to  return  the  jewels,  but  hooted 
at  the  idea  of  paying  a  single  sou  for 
merely  "  taking  time  to  examine  them 
and  make  up  his  mind."  The  dealers 
threatened  to  bring  him  before  the 
police  court ;  he  laughed  at  them,  and 
they  abandoned  it,  fearing  the  loss  of 
time  and  money.     Another  case  was 

that  of  M'me  de ,  who  took  from  a 

certain  dealer  an  immense  quantity  of 
jewels  to  "  show  to  her  mother,"  as  she 
said ;  but  really  to  carry  to  her  "  aunt " 
(the  slang  phrase  for  the  pawnbroker), 
and  they  could  not  be  got  back  but  by 
the  aid  of  the  police. 


Window  "  Gazers"  Employed  by  Lon- 
don Shopkeepers. 

One  of  the  most  "  exquisite  "  tactics 
of  London  shopkeepers  is  the  hiring  of 
regular  window  gazers.  This  leisurely 
employ6,  whose  very  existence  is  hardly 
known  to  one  in  a  thousand  (and  of 
course  is  not  intended  to  be),  is  a  gen- 
teelly dressed,  complacent-looking  indi- 
vidual, having  much  the  appearance  and 
manners  of  an  aristocratic  "  gentleman 
about  town."  It  is  but  rarely  that  his 
services  are  monopolized  by  a  single 
firm,  unless  they  are  the  proprietors  of 
several  shops  in  different  quarters  of 
the  city.  It  more  frequently  happens 
that  he  is  the  joint  property  of  several 
individuals  whose  occupations  and  in- 
terests do  not  at  all  clash  with  each 
other. 

These  various  traders  manage  to  rig 
him  out  in  fashionable  trim  by  general 


204 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


contribution ;  a  hatter  takes  charge  of 
his  head ;  a  tailor  of  his  back ;  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  "  pantaloononicon  "  con- 
tributes the  trousers;  the  bootmaker 
indues  him  in  a  pair  of  the  genteelest 
of  boots;  he  supports  a  gold-headed 
cane  or  a  handsome  umbrella,  supplied 
by  the  manufacturer  of  those  articles ; 
necktie  and  handkerchief  of  irreproach- 
able style  and  pattern  are  bestowed  by 
the  haberdasher ;  while  a  jeweller  finds 
him  a  gold  watch,  a  showy  ring,  and  a 
handsome  double  eyeglass. 

Thus  equipped,  he  "  goeth  forth  to 
his  labor,"  whenever  the  state  of  the 
weather  is  such  as  to  support  the  proba- 
bility of  his  genuineness.  All  he  has 
to  do  is  to  walk  leisurely  from  the  shop 
of  one  of  his  patrons  to  that  of  another, 
stopping  in  front  of  the  window,  and 
scrutinizing  with  much  apparent  inter- 
est and  complacency  the  various  objects 
there  displayed  to  public  view.  In 
so  doing,  he  handles  his  gold  eye-glass 
with  aristocratic  grace — taps  his  model 
boot  with  his  splendid  cane — drops  a 
monosyllabic  ejaculation  of  surprise  or 
commendation,  and  when  half  a  score 
of  simpletons  have  gathered  around  to 
admire  the  astonishing  cheapness  and 
perfection  of  the  goods,  he  pops  into 
the  shop,  already  commencing  to  give 
an  order  in  a  loud  and  pompous  tone 
for  a  dozen  of  the  article  which  the 
tradesman  wants  to  push  oflF — desires 
that  they  may  be  sent  to  May  Fair  be- 
fore dark,  and,  naively  leaving  his 
card  with  the  shopman,  who  bows  him 
deferentially  out,  walks  leisurely  off  to 
the  next  shop  on  his  beat,  there  to  re- 
peat the  same  automatic  ceremony.  He 
contrives  to  arrive  at  the  tailor's  at  the 
fashionable  hour,  when  that  functionary 
is  engaged  with  customers,  and  there 
he  spreads  himself  in  giving  his  concise 
and  liberal  orders :  "  You  have  my 
measure — no  immediate  hurry — this 
day  week  will  do — suppose  you  are 
driven  as  usual ;  "  and  he  is  off  again 
on  his  way  to  the  jeweller's. 

He  accomplishes  his  easy  round  in 


the  course  of  the  day,  and  betakes  him- 
self to  his  scurvy  lodging,  doffing  his 
"show-toys"  before  dark.  His  pay 
varies  from  half  a  crown  to  three  shil- 
lings and  sixpence  a  day,  according  to 
his  figure  and  effrontery ;  and  he  con- 
siders it  easily  and  pleasantly  earned, 
inasmuch  as  he  is  (according  to  his  own 
notions),  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a 
gentleman — during  the  hours  of  duty. 


One  Price,  but  not  the  Same  Article. 

A  LADY  went  into  a  drygoods  store 
to  buy  a  silk  dress,  and  after  being 
shown  several  pieces,  at  length  fixed 
on  one,  for  which,  however,  she  would 
only  give  a  certain  price,  and  that  con- 
siderably lower  than  the  one  demanded. 
But  in  accordance  with  the  "  One  price 
— no  deduction  "  rule  of  the  house,  no 
abatement  could  be  allowed  to  be  made, 
so  the  offer  could  not  be  taken. 

The  customer  was  just  going  away, 
when  the  salesman  dexterously  put 
aside  the  piece  of  sUk  in  question,  and 
replaced  it  by  another  of  an  inferior 
quality  and  lower  price,  though  simi- 
lar in  appearance  to  that  for  which  she 
had  been  offering.  "  Come  this  way, 
ma'am,  you  may  have  it !  "  he  cried,  as 
she  was  going  out  at  the  door.  The 
dress  was  cut  off,  the  full  price  paid, 
and  the  customer  departed,  highly 
pleased  at  having  got  it  all  her  own 
way. 

Drygroods  Dronuner  "  Sold." 

The  following  description,  by  the 
hero  of  a  native  romance  bearing  his 
name,  of  the  manner  and  tactics  of 
New  York  drygoods  drummers,  is  a  pic- 
ture which  the  presiding  genius  of  Har- 
per's "  Drawer  "  justly  pronounces  to  be 
one  that  Dickens  himself  has  rarely  ex- 
celled. The  scene  succeeds  the  history 
of  the  hero's  first  acquaintance  with  a 
"  drummer  " — who,  mistaking  him  for 
a  country  "  dealer,"  had  given  him  his 
card  on  board  of  a  steamboat,  taken 


TRADE   AND   BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


205 


him  to  his  hotel,  sent  him  his  wine, 
given  him  tickets  to  the  theatre,  and 
requested  him  to  call  at  his  store  in 
Hanover  Square,  where  (though  he 
didn't  say  so)  it  was  his  intention  to 
turn  these  courtesies  to  profitable  ac- 
count. On  a  bright,  pleasant  morning, 
accordingly,  our  hero  visits  the  store, 
where  Mr.  Lummocks,  the  drummer, 
receives  him  with  open  arms,  and  in- 
troduces him  to  his  employer. 

He  shook  me  heartily  by  the  hand, 
and  said  he  was  really  delighted  to  see 
me.  He  asked  me  how  the  times  were, 
and  offered  me  a  cigar,  which  I  took, 
for  fear  of  giving  ofience,  but  which  I 
threw  away  the  very  first  opportunity 
I  got. 

"Buy  for  cash,  or  on  time?"  he 
asked. 

I  was  a  little  startled  at  the  question, 
it  was  so  abrupt ;  but  I  replied  : 

"  For  cash." 

*'  Would  you  like  to  look  at  some 
prints,  major  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you,"  I 
answered ;  "  I  am  very  fond  of  seeing 
prints." 

With  that  he  commenced  turning 
over  one  piece  after  another,  with 
amazing  rapidity. 

"  There,  major — very  desirable  arti- 
cle^splendid  style — only  two-and-six  ; 
cheapest  goods  in  the  street." 

Before  I  could  make  any  reply,  or 
even  guess  at  his  meaning,  he  was 
called  away,  and  Mr.  Lummocks 
stepped  up  and  supplied  his  place. 

"  You  had  better  buy  'em,  colonel," 
said  Mr.  Lummocks;  "they  will  sell 
like  hot  cakes.  Did  you  say  you 
bought  for  cash  ? " 

"  Of  course,^''  I  replied,  "  if  I  buy  at 
all." 

He  took  a  memorandum  out  of  his 
pocket,  and  looked  in  it  for  a  moment. 

"Let — me — see,"  said  he,  "Franco, 
Franco — what  did  you  say  your  firm 
was?  Something  and  Franco,  or 
Franco  and  Somebody?  The  name 
has  escaped  me." 


"  I  have  no  firm,"  I  replied. 

"  Oh,  you  haven't,  hain't  ye  ?  all 
alone,  eh  ?  But  I  don't  see  that  I've 
got  your  first  name  down  in  my  '  tick- 
ler.' " 

"  My  first  name  is  Harry,"  said  I. 

"  Right — yes — I  remember,"  said  Mr, 
Lummocks,  making  a  memorandum, 
"  and  your  references,  colonel,  who  did 
you  say  were  your  references  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  reference,"  I  replied ; 
"  indeed,  I  know  of  no  one  to  whom  I 
could  refer,  except  my  father." 

"  What — the  old  boy  in  the  country, 
eh?" 

"My  father  is  in  the  country,"  I 
answered,  seriously,  not  very  well 
pleased  to  hear  my  parent  called  the 
"  Old  Boy." 

"  Then  you  have  no  city  references, 
eh?" 

"  None  at  all ;  I  have  no  friends 
here,  except  yourself." 

"  Me  ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Lummocks, 
apparently  in  great  amazement.  "  Oh, 
ho  !  how  much  of  a  bill  do  you  mean 
to  make  with  us,  captain  ? " 

"  Perhaps  I  may  buy  a  vest  pattern," 
I  replied,  "  if  you  have  got  some  gen- 
teel patterns." 

"  A  vest  pattern ! "  exclaimed  Mr, 
Lummocks ;  "  what !  haven't  you  come 
down  for  the  purpose  of  buying  goods  ? " 

"  No,  sir,"  I  replied ;  "  I  cam.e  to 
New  York  to  seek  for  employment, 
and,  as  you  have  shown  me  so  many 
kind  attentions,  I  thought  you  would  be 
glad  to  assist  me  in  finding  a  situation." 

Mr.  Lummocks's  countenance  under- 
went a  very  singular  change  when  I 
announced  my  reasons  for  calling  on 
him. 

"Do  you  see  any  thing  that  looks 
green  in  there  ? "  he  asked,  pulling 
down  his  eyelid  with  his  forefinger. 

"  No,  sir,  I  do  not,"  I  replied,  look- 
ing very  earnestly  into  his  eye. 

"  Nor  in  there,  either  ?  "  said  he,  pull- 
ing open  his  other  eye. 

"  Nothing  at  all,  sir,"  I  replied,  after 
a  minute  examination. 


206 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


"  I  guess  not !  "  said  Mr.  Lummocks ; 
and  without  making  any  other  answer, 
he  turned  smartly  on  his  heel,  and  left 
me. 

"  Regularly  sucked,  eh.  Jack  ? " 
asked  a  young  man  who  had  been 
listening  to  our  conversation. 

"  Don't  mention  it,"  said  Mr.  Lum- 
mocks ;  "  the  man  is  a  fool." 

Harry  was  about  to  demand  an  ex- 
planation of  this  strange  conduct,  when 
the  proprietor  came  forward  and  told 
him  that  he  was  not  a  retailer,  but  a 
jobber,  and  advised  him,  "  if  he  wanted 
a  vest  pattern,  to  go  into  Chatham 
street !  "  The  drummer  was  "  sold," 
instead  of  his  goods. 


Deaconins:  botta.  Ends  of  the  Barrel. 
In  preparing  and  packing  fruit  for 
the  market,  the  practice  of  "deaconing," 
as  it  is  called,  is  very  extensively  fol- 
lowed— that  is,  topping  off  a  barrel  of 
apples  with  the  best  specimens;  the 
rather  irreverent  terra  "deaconing" 
having  its  origin,  probably,  from  some 
one  holding  that  office  having  been  un- 
fortunately distinguished  for  his  fre- 
quent adoption  of  the  plan,  so  as  to 
put  an  inviting  show  on  his  fruit.  A 
dealer  down  East,  who  happened  to  be 
"  posted,"  sold  a  barrel  of  apples  to  a 
customer,  at  the  same  time  recommend- 
ing them  as  the  choicest  apples  that  had 
been  raised  in  the  town.  In  due  time 
the  barrel  was  opened,  and  found  to 
contain  a  very  inferior  quality  ;  where- 
upon the  customer,  feeling  that  he  had 
been  imposed  upon,  made  complaint  to 
the  seller,  who  in  turn  very  coolly  made 
answer,  that  he  guessed  he  must  have 
opened  the  barrel  at  the  wrong  end ! 
The  only  change  this  little  episode  was 
known  to  produce  in  the  seller's  prac- 
tice was  to  make  him  careful  afterward 
to  "  deacon  "  loth  ends. 


Grocers'  Baisin-Boxes  and  Nibbling: 
Cxistomers. 

Almost  every  grocer,  it  may  be  safe 

to  assume,  is  or  has  been  infested  with 


a  customer  who  is  perpetually  infring- 
ing on  the  eighth  commandment.  TMs 
class  of  pilferers  are  constantly  tasting 
the  cheese,  or  munching  convenient 
limips  of  sugar,  dried  apples,  etc.  They 
occasionally  stick  their  dirty  fingers  in- 
to the  molasses  hogshead,  and  suck  them 
with  infinite  gusto. 

A  grocer,  "  not  a  thousand  miles " 
from  South  Danvers,  was  the  victim  of 

such  a    bore.     Whenever   Mr.  A 

came  to  the  store,  he  would  steer  for 
the  raisin-box,  and  deliberately  ab- 
stract a  handful;  to  the  cheese,  and 
take  a  generous  slice;  and,  with  a 
cracker  and  a  glass  of  water,  serve 
himself  an  excellent  lunch.  The  gro- 
cer one  day  undid  a  box  of  nice  Malaga 
raisins  and  placed  it  on  his  counter. 

Mr.  A ,   coming    in,  made    direct 

tracks  to  them,  and  expressed  his  ap- 
probation of  their  quality  by  taking  an 
unusually  large  handful.  Our  friend, 
the  grocer,  observing  this,  gave  orders 
to  his  clerks  not  to  sell  or  allow  any 
one  to  touch  the  raisins  in  that  box, 
except  Mr.  A.  He  called  frequently. 
At  the  end  of  six  months,  the  box  of 

Malagas  was    gone ;    Mr.  A had 

eaten  them  all.  His  bill  for  that  time 
amounted  to  about  forty  dollars,  the 
profits  on  which  were  three  dollars. 
The  raisins  (to  say  nothing  of  other 
nibblings)  amounted,  at  cost  price,  to 
$3.25.  Thus  the  grocer,  from  that 
"  customer,"  in  that  space  of  time, 
made  twenty-five  cents  out  of  pocket. 
After  that,  he  insisted  upon  having 

Mr.    A administer    firm    control 

over  his  fingers,  or  else  withdraw  his 
patronage. 

Item — to  whom  it  may  concern : 
Don't  imagine  that  when  you  purchase 
an  ounce  of  pepper,  the  grocer  can 
afford  you  the  gratuitous  privilege  of 
his  raisin  box. 


Artful  Hodge. 
An  ingenious  rogue  in  Berlin,  Prus- 
sia, lately  practised  one  of  the  most  art- 
ful dodges  to  be  found  in  the  records 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


207 


of  any  business.  A  member  of  the 
company  of  players  at  Kallenbach's 
theatre  was  to  have  a  benefit  night; 
and  the  question  was,  how  to  get  to- 
gether a  good  audience,  as  the  usual 
attendance  at  that  place  of  amusement, 
even  if  doubled,  would  produce  far  too 
slender  a  sum  to  satisfy  the  expecta- 
tions of  a  benefit  night.  Accordingly, 
some  days  before  the  memorable  even- 
ing, there  appeared  in  all  the  Berlin 
papers  an  advertisement  to  the  follow- 
ing effect : 

"  A  gentleman,  who  has  a  niece  and 
ward  possessing  a  disposable  property 
of  fifteen  thousand  thalers,  together 
with  a  mercantile  establishment,  desires 
to  find  a  young  man  who  would  be  able 
to  manage  the  business  and  become  the 
husband  of  the  young  lady.  The  pos- 
session of  property  or  other  qualification 

is  no  object.    Apply  to ." 

Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  letters 
poured  in,  in  reply  ,to  this  advertise- 
ment. On  the  morning  of  the  benefit 
day  each  person  who  had  sent  a  reply 
received  the  following  note  :  "  The 
most  important  point  is,  of  course, 
that  you  should  like  one  another.  I 
and  my  niece  are  going  to  Kallenbach's 
theatre  this  evening,  and  you  can  just 
drop  in  upon  us  in  Box  No.  1." 

Of  course,  the  theatre  was  crammed. 
All  the  boxes,  all  the  best  paying  places 
in  the  house  were  filled  early  in  the 
evening  with  a  mostly  male  public,  got 
up  in  a  style  seldom  seen  at  the  royal 
opera  itself.  Glasses  were  levelled  on 
all  sides  in  the  direction  of  "  box 
No.  1,"  and  eyes  were  strained  to  catch 
the  first  glimpse  of  the  niece,  when  she 
should  appear  in  company  with  the 
uncle.  But  uncles  are  proverb.ally 
"  wicked  old  men ; "  and  in  the  pre  ent 
case  neither  uncle  nor  niece  was  to  be 
found,  and  the  disconsolate  lovers— of  a 
fortune — were  left  to  clear  up  the  mys- 
tery as  best  they  could.  The  theatre 
had  not  had  such  an  audience  for  years, 
and,  of  course,  the  chief  person  concern- 
ed reaped  a  rich  harvest  by  the  trick. 


Half-hoxir's  Experience  with  liOndon 
Brokers. 

I  TURNED  to  the  right  (says  an  hon- 
est visitor  to  the  rendezvous  of  English, 
brokers,  to  see  how  the  money-springs 
were  touched),  and  found  myself  in  a 
spacious  apartment,  which  was  nearly 
filled  with  persons  more  respectable  in 
appearance  than  the  crew  I  had  left  at 
the  door.  Curious  to  see  all  that  was 
to  be  seen,  I  began  to  scrutinize  the 
place  and  the  society  into  which  I  bad 
intruded.  But  I  was  prevented  from 
indulging  the  reflections  which  began 
to  suggest  themselves,  by  the  conduct 
of  those  about  me.  A  curly-haired 
Jew,  with  a  face  as  yellow  as  a  guinea, 
stepped  plump  before  me,  fixed  his 
black,  round,  leering  eyes  full  on  me, 
and  exclaimed  without  the  slightest 
anxiety  about  my  hearing  him  : 

"  So  help  me  Got,  Mo',  who  is  he  ?  " 
Instead  of  replying  in  a  straightfor- 
ward way,  "  Mo "  raised  his  voice  as 
loud  as  he  could,  and  shouted  with 
might  and  main : 

"  Fourteen  hundred  new  fives  I " 
A  hundred  voices  repeated  the  mys- 
terious exclamation,   "Fourteen  hun- 
dred new  fives ! " 

"  Where,  where — fourteen  hundred 
new  fives — now  for  a  look ;  where  is 
he — Go  it,  go  it ! "  were  the  cries  raised 
on  all  sides  by  the  crowd,  which  now 
rallied  about  my  person  like  a  swarm 
of  bees.  And  then  "  Mo,"  by  way  of 
proceeding  to  business,  repeating  the 
war-cry,  staggered  sideways  against 
me,  so  as  almost  to  knock  me  down. 
My  fall,  however,  was  happily  pre- 
vented by  the  kindness  of  a  brawny 
Scotchman,  who  humorously  calling 
out,  "  Let  the  man  alone,"  was  so  good 
as  to  stay  me  in  my  course  with  his 
shoulder,  and  even  to  send  me  back 
toward  "  Mo,"  with  such  violence,  that, 
had  he  not  been  supported  by  a  string 
of  his  friends,  he  must  have  infallibly 
fallen  before  me.  But  being  thus 
backed,  he  was  enabled  to  withstand 
the  shock,  and  to  give  me  a  new  im- 


208 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


pulse  in  the  direction  of  the  Scotch- 
man, who,  awaiting  my  return,  treated 
me  with  another  hoist  as  before,  and  I 
found  those  two  worthies  were  likely 
to  amuse  themselves  with  me  as  with  a 
shuttlecock,  for  tbe  next  quarter  of  an 
hour.  I  struggled  violently  to  extri- 
cate myself  from  this  unpleasant  situa- 
tion, and,  by  aiming  a  blow  at  the  Jew, 
inspired  Moses  to  pause  and  give  up 
his  next  hit,  and  to  allow  me  for  a  mo- 
ment to  regain  my  feet. 

The  rash  step  which  I  had  taken  was 
likely  to  produce  very  formidable  con- 
sequences. All  present  were  highly 
exasperated  and  panting  for  a  clinch. 
The  war  became  more  hot  and  des- 
perate than  ever.  Each  individual 
seemed  anxious  to  contribute  to  my 
destruction ;  and  some  of  their  number 
considerately  called  out,  "  Spare  his  life, 
but  break  his  limbs."  My  alarm  was 
extreme ;  and  I  looked  nervously  round 
for  means  of  escape. 

"  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  your- 
self to  use  the  gentleman  in  that  sort 
of  way,"  squeaked  a  small  imp-like  per- 
son, affecting  sympathy,  and  then  trying 
to  renew  the  sport. 

"  How  would  you  like  it  yourself," 
cried  another,  "  if  you  were  a  stran- 
ger ? "  shaking  his  sandy  locks  with  a 
knowing  look,  and  knocking  off  my 
hat  as  he  spoke. 

I  made  a  desperate  blow  at  this 
offender.  It  did  not  take  effect,  from 
the  expedition  with  whicTi  he  retreat- 
ed, and  I  had  prudence  enough  to  re- 
flect that  it  would  be  better  to  recover 
my  hat  than  to  pursue  the  enemy. 
Turning  round,  I  saw  my  unfortunate 
beaver,  or  "  canister,"  as  it  was  called 
by  the  gentry  who  had  it  in  their  cus- 
tody, bandying  it  backward  and  for- 
ward, between  the  Caledonian  and  his 
clan,  and  the  Jew  and  his  tribe. 

Covered  with  perspiration,  foaming 
with  rage,  and  almost  expiring  from 
heat  and  exhaustion,  I  at  last  succeeded 
in  recovering  my  once  glossy  and  re- 
spectable hat.    I  did  not  dare  to  rein- 


state it,  but  was  forced  to  grasp  it  with 
both  hands,  in  order  to  save  what  re- 
mained of  it.  I  bafl9ied  several  desperate 
snatches,  one  of  which  carried  away  the 
lining  in  shreds,  and  was  now  trying  to 
keep  the  enemy  at  bay,  afraid  again  to 
attack  the  host  opposed  to  me ;  but  not 
knowing  how  to  retreat,  when  a  person, 
who  had  not  previously  made  himself 
conspicuous,  approached  and  interfered, 
by  saying,  "  Perhaps  you  had  better  go 
out ; "  at  the  same  time  pointing  to  a 
door  which  I  had  been  too  much  in  a 
hurry  to  have  seen  before. 


One  of  the  Operations  in  'Changre 
AUey. 

While  the  war  in  which  the  British 
nation  was  involved,  in  1761,  was  going 
on,  Mr.  Dunbar,  the  eminent  West  In- 
dia merchant  in  London,  finding  his 
affairs  much  less  prosperous  than  usual, 
sought  "  the  Alley,"  as  the  money  street 
of  London  was  then  termed,  to  retrieve 
his  failing  fortunes — with  what  success, 
the  sequel  will  show.    From  some  pri- 
vate information  of  which  he  had  come 
into  possession,  he  believed  that  he  had 
good  grounds  for  supposing    that    a 
peace  would  soon  be  effected,  and  a 
rise  in  the  funds  at  once  ensue.    He 
therefore  ordered   his  broker  to    buy 
one  hundred  thousand  pounds  in  stock 
for  his  account,  telling  him  privately 
the  opinion  he  had  formed,  with  the 
intelligence  on  which  it  was  based, — 
and  the  broker,  in  violation  of  his  oath, 
jobbed  extensively  on  his  own  account 
as  well  as  for  his  client.     February 
passed    away   without    the    expected 
peace,  and  Mr.  Dunbar  paid  the  differ- 
ence.    Confident,  however,  in  his  views, 
he  continued  the  operation ;  but  each 
account  day  proved  that  the  price  had 
been  against  him,  and  with  great  dif- 
ficulty did  he  find  money  to  pay  the 
amounts    due.      In    July,    unable    to 
pay  cash,  he  gave  notes  of  hand  to 
the   broker,  who   agreed    to    receive 
them.      No    objection    being    made, 
the    account  was    continued    on   for 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


209 


August.  In  that  month  the  pros- 
pect of  peace  revived,  the  funds  rose 
handsomely,  and  Mr.  Dunbar,  seeing  a 
chance  of  paying  a  greater  part  of  his 
losses,  went  with  all  speed  to  his  bro- 
ker. His  distress  may  be  imagined,  when 
he  was  coolly  told,  that,  since  he  had 
given  notes  of  Jiand,  no  account  had  been 
opened,  and  no  advantage  could  be 
reaped  from  the  rise  in  price.  Any  ap- 
peal to  law  was  useless ;  but,  as  Mr. 
Dunbar  became  a  bankrupt,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  stock  exchange  subscribed 
to  pay  the  amount  claimed,  in  order 
that  so  flagrant  a  case  might  not  be- 
come public. 


His  ^Tiling:  Passion. 

A  Mb.  L.,  a  master  in  chancery,  was 
on  his  deathbed — a  very  wealthy  man. 
Some  occasion  of  great  urgency  occur- 
red, in  which  it  became  necessary  to 
make  an  affidavit ;  and  the  attorney, 
failing  of  one  or  two  other  masters 
whom  he  inquired  after,  ventured  to 
ask  if  Mr.  L.  himself  would  possibly  be 
able  to  receive  the  deposition.  The 
proposal  actually  seemed  to  give  him 
momentary  strength ;  his  clerk  was 
sent  for,  and  the  oath  taken  in  due 
form.  The  master  was  lifted  up  in  his 
bed,  and  with  difficulty  subscribed  the 
paper ;  as  he  sank  down  again,  he  made 
a  signal  to  his  clerk,  "Wallace?" 
"  Sir  ?  "  "  Your  ear  —  lower  —  lower. 
Have  you  got  the  half  crown  f  "  He  was 
dead  before  the  morninsr. 


Trick  for  "  the  Spashy." 

When  the  banks  "  shut  down  "  on 
their  specie,  some  people  hold  on  to 
what  coin  they  get  a  feel  at,  to  the 
annoyance  of  the  retail  traders,  who  are 
importuned  every  hour  to  change  a  bill 
for  some  small  purpose.  An  illustra- 
tion of  this  fact  is  that  of  a  Celtic 
woman  who  entered  a  grocery  and 
called  for  "  a  cint's  'orth  o'  sand."  The 
article  was  measured  out,  and  put  into 
14 


the  customer's  pail,  who  tendered  a  one 
dollar  bill  to  have  the  pay  taken  out 
of  it.  "  I  can't  change  that  for  so  small 
an  amount,"  exclaimed  the  grocer; 
"  you  may  take  the  sand,  and  be  wel- 
come to  it."  "  Indade,  sir,  and  shure 
it  isn't  the  sand  that  I'm  wanting  at  all 
at  all ;  but  it's  the  sulver — the  spashy 
that  ye'U  be  giving  me  back." 


Game  of  the  Honey  Fackagres. 

NoBTH,  the  noted  insurance  agent, 
banker,  stock  gambler,  and  speculator, 
who  flourished  upon  such  an  extensive 
scale  until  the  hour  of  his  collapse — 
when  he  was  found  to  be  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  dollars  worse  than  noth- 
ing— was  a  most  inveterate  and  persist- 
ent borrower  of  other  people's  money. 

He  went  to  New  York  frequently, 
and  took  with  him  large  packages  of 
bank  bills.  Usually  arriving  in  New 
York  after  business  hours,  it  was  his 
custom,  on  such  occasions,  to  deposit 
the  money  packages,  nicely  sealed,  with 
the  clerk  of  the  hotel  he  might  de- 
cide to  stop  at.  L.  E.  W.,  who  had 
occasion  also  to  go  frequently  to  New 
York,  and  who  often  chanced  to  fall 
into  North's  company,  had  noticed  that 
these  deposits  of  money  packages  gen- 
erally secured  to  North  nice  rooms  and 
much  attention  at  the  hotels.  He  ac- 
cordingly prepared  two  handsome  pack- 
ages, sealed  them  up  with  heavy  seals, 
marked  upon  each,  in  bold  characters, 
"  $3,000,"  placed  them  in  his  carpet 
sack,  and  in  two  or  three  days  after,  on 
his  way  to  Gotham,  got  into  the  company 
of  North.  They  went  together  to  the 
Astor.  North  booked  his  name,  puUed 
a  key  from  his  pocket,  unlocked  his 
carpet  sack,  took  out  a  sealed  package 
marked  "  $3,000,"  and  handed  it  to  the 
clerk  with  a  pompous  request  that  it 
be  taken  care  of  till  called  for.  L.  E. 
W.  then  booked  his  name,  and  opening 
his  carpet  bag,  drew  out  the  two  pack- 
ages marked  "$3,000,"  and  handed 
them  to  the  clerk  with  the  same  re- 


210 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


quest.  North  looked  on  -witli  evident 
satisfaction  and  surprise,  but  made  no 
remark.  The  next  day,  after  break- 
fast, he  called  L.  E.  W.  aside  myste- 
riously, spoke  to  him  about  having  a 
bank  note  to  pay,  said  he  was  "  short," 
and  ending  by  requesting  a  loan  of  one 
of  the  packages  of  three  thousand  dol- 
lars, which  he  had  seen  him  deposit  the 
evening  before.  The  temptation  was 
too  great ;  and  besides  it  was  "  All- 
Fool's  Day."  "You  can  have  it  for 
three  days,  if  that  can  be  of  any  accom- 
modation to  you,"  said  W.,  looking 
wisely.  Of  course  it  would  be  an  ac- 
commodation ;  so  North  wrote  a  note 
for  three  thousand  dollars,  payable  one 
day  after  date,  and  the  package  was 
graciously  passed  to  him.  An  hour 
later,  and  North  went  into  a  well- 
known  bank  in  Wall  street,  with  his 
usual  bluster,  bustle,  and  hurry.  "  I 
have  a  note  here  due  to-day,  I  believe," 
said  he  to  a  teller.  The  note  was  pro- 
duced. It  was  for  five  thousand  dol- 
lars. A  $2,000  and  a  $3,000  package 
were  handed  over  in  payment.  The 
first  was  broken,  and  found  to  be  cor- 
rect ;  the  second  was  then  opened,  and 
found  to  contain  nought  but  blank  tis- 
sue paper  !  The  clerk  looked  inquir- 
ingly ;  poor  North  looked  deeply  mor- 
tified. He  made  a  hurried  apology, 
gathered  up  his  two  thousand  dollars, 
and  took  his  departure.  North  never 
afterward  asked  L.  E.  "W.  for  a  loan  of 
a  "  money  package." 


King:  Charles  in  the  Pawners'  Clutches. 

In  a  curious  pamphlet,  published  in 
1676,  an  account  is  given  of  the  out- 
rageous advantage  taken  of  the  neces- 
sities of  King  Charles  by  the  pawn- 
brokers ;  showing  that  the  monarch 
who  lives  beyond  his  revenue,  must 
pay  the  same  penalty  as  the  subject 
who  outruns  his  income.  He  found 
himself  at  the  mercy  of  the  rich  pawn- 
broker, who  made  the  royal  debtor  pay 
ten,  twenty,  and  thirty  per  cent,  for  ac- 


commodation, while  he  allowed  only 
six  per  cent,  for  the  money  which  went 
to  alleviate  the  difficulties  of  the  "  mer- 
ry monarch."  A  business  so  profitable 
induced  the  pawnbrokers  more  and 
more  to  become  lenders  to  the  king, 
to  anticipate  all  the  revenue,  to  take 
every  grant  of  Parliament  into  pawn 
as  soon  as  it  was  given  ;  also  to  outvie 
each  other  in  buying  and  taking  to 
pawn  bills,  orders,  and  tallies,  so  that, 
in  effect,  all  the  revenue  passed  through 
their  hands. 


Duplicity  Practised  by  Fumese,  the 
Eingr's  Banker. 

The  name  of  Sir  Henry  Fumese 
figures  largely  among  the  bygone 
bankers  who  gave  renown  to  the  finan- 
ciers of  that  period.  Throughout  Hol- 
land, Flanders,  France,  and  Germany, 
he  maintained  a  complete  and  perfect 
train  of  business  intelligence.  The 
news  of  the  many  battles  fought  was 
thus  received  first  by  him,  and  the  fall 
of  Namur  added  to  his  profits,  owing 
to  his  early  receipt  of  the  news.  On 
another  occasion  he  was  presented  by 
King  William  with  a  diamond  ring  of 
immense  value,  as  a  reward  for  some 
important  information,  and  as  a  testi- 
mony of  that  monarch's  esteem.  He 
was  the  king's  friend  and  banker. 

But  the  temptation  to  deceive  was 
too  great,  even  for  tliis  eminent  and 
honored  banker.  He  fabricated  news  ; 
he  insinuated  false  intelligence ;  he  was 
the  originator  of  some  of  those  plans 
which  at  a  later  peiiod  were  managed 
with  so  much  effiect  by  Rothschild. 
Thus,  if  Sir  Henry  wished  to  buy,  his 
brokers  were  ordered  to  look  gloomy 
and  mysterious,  hint  at  important  news, 
and  after  a  time  sell.  His  movements 
were  closely  watched — the  contagion 
would  spread ;  the  speculators  become 
alarmed ;  prices  be  lowered  four  or  five 
per  cent., — for  in  those  days  the  loss  of 
a  battle  might  be  the  loss  of  a  crown, — 
and  Sir  Henry  would  reap  the  benefit 
by  employing  different  brokers  to  pur- 


TRADE   AND   BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


211 


chase  as  much  as  possible  at  the  re- 
duced price.  Large  profits  were  thus 
made,  but  a  demoralizing  spirit  was 
spread  abroad;  and  bankrupts  and 
beggars  sought  the  same  pleasure  in 
which  the  millionnaire  indulged,  and 
often  with  similar  success. 


Talleyrand  and  the  Stock  Jobber. 

An  extensive  dealer  in  stocks,  anx- 
ious about  the  rise  and  fall  of  the 
public  funds,  and  eager  to  overreach 
those  similarly  situated,  came  once  to 
Talleyrand  for  information  respecting 
the  truth  of  a  rumor  that  George  the 
Third  had  suddenly  died,  when  the 
statesman  replied  in  a  confidential  tone, 
"I  shall  be  delighted  if  the  information 
I  have  to  give  you,  be  of  any  use  to 
you."  The  banker  was  enchanted  with 
the  prospect  of  obtaining  authentic  in- 
formation from  so  high  a  source ;  and 
Talleyrand,  with  a  mysterious  air,  con- 
tinued :  "  Some  say  that  the  king  of 
England  is  dead,  others  that  he  is  not 
dead,  but  for  my  own  part,  I  believe 
neither  the  one  nor  the  other ;  I  tell 
you  this  in  confidence,  but  do  not  com- 
mit me." 


Buying:  Cheap. 

Some  persons  have  a  penchant  for 
buying  things  cheap — a  weakness,  in- 
deed, with  which  many  are  troubled, 
and  it  is  oftentimes  a  most  offensive 
one.  Clapp  tells  a  "  good  un "  of  a 
wandering  Jew  peddler,  who  stepped 
into  the  counting  room  of  a  Boston 
merchant,  on  a  certain  winter's  morn- 
ing, and  after  warming  his  hands,  turn- 
ed to  the  gentleman  occupying  the  seat 
of  authority,  and  politely  inquired : 

"  "Would  you  like  to  examine  a  vest 
pattern  ?  " 

"No,  no,  don't  bother  me.  Very 
busy  just  now." 

"  It  is  the  best  article  and  the  neatest 
pattern  that  you  ever  saw." 

"  Don't  want  any  vest  patterns  !  " 


"  But  just  look,  sir," — and  the  ped- 
dler had  a  piece  of  vesting  unfolded, 
which  was  really  quite  neat,  and  the 
cogitator,  unable  to  unravel  the  politi- 
cal web — he  was  conning  the  election 
returns  as  given  by  the  rival  jour- 
nals— determined  to  unravel  the  web 
of  the  fabric. 

"  All  silk,  sir ;  warranted,  and  suflS- 
cient  for  two  double-breasted  vests,  or 
three  with  rolling  collars." 

"  "What  do  you  ask  for  it  ? " 

"  Twelve  dollars.  I  bought  it  in 
Liverpool,  and  brought  it  over  with 
me,  and  if  you  want  it,  you  shall  have 
it  for  just  what  it  cost  me — twelve  dol- 
lars." 

"  It  is  too  much,  shan't  give  any  such 
price — but  will  give  you  six  dollars." 

"  Oh,  my  gracious  !  "  exclaimed  the 
peddler,  as  if  astonished  at  such  an  offer, 
"  I  can't  think  of  it.  "  Off  he  walked. 
In  ten  minutes  the  door  was  opened, 
and  the  peddler  thrust  in  his  head : 
"  You  may  have  it  for  ten  dollars." 

"  No,"  was  all  the  reply  he  got. 

"  I  will  say  eight,  as  the  very  lowest." 

"  No,  sir,^''  and  away  went  the  peddler 
the  second  time. 

The  gentleman  was  about  relapsing 
into  his  revery  upon  the  contradictory 
election  returns,  as  given  by  the  differ- 
ent political  papers,  when  the  peddler 
reentered  boldly,  and  laid  the  vesting 
upon  the  desk,  exclaiming  : 

"  "Well,  give  us  six  dollars,  and  it  is 
yours." 

The  money  was  paid,  and  the  peddler 
was  about  leaving  the  door,  when  he 
turned  round  and  took  from  his  pocket 
another  roll,  and,  undoing  it,  exposed 
to  view  a  piece  of  vesting  as  far  pref- 
erable to  the  other  as  possible. 

The  gentleman  at  once  made  a  propo- 
sal to  exchange.  The  peddler  couldn't 
think  of  such  a  thing — he  didn't  mean 
to  sell  it  on  any  account ;  he  intended 
to  keep  it  until  he  was  able  to  have  it 
made  up  for  himself;  but,  after  con- 
siderable trading  and  talking,  he  gave 
it  up,  received  his  first  piece  and  two 


212 


COMMERCIAL  AXD  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


dollars,  and  walked  off— making  eight 
dollars  for  his  piece  of  vesting.  The 
gentleman,  quite  satisfied  with  the  ex- 
change, walked  up  to  his  tailor's, 
at  noon,  threw  down  the  piece,  order- 
ing him  to  cut  off  suflBcient  for  one 
vest. 

"  How  many  vests  do  you  expect  it 
will  make  ?  "  inquired  the  tailor. 

"  Three,  of  course,"  was  the  reply. 

The  yardstick  went  down,  and  look- 
ing up,  he  informed  the  purchaser  that 
it  would  make  two,  by  piecing  out  the 
collar  with  black  silk.  The  idea  of 
measuring  the  article  had  not  occurred 
to  him  before,  but  at  this  piece  of  news 
he  felt  a  kind  of  film  spread  over  his 
eyes,  a  lightness  of  pocket  troubling  his 
ribs,  while  the  letters  s-o-l-d,  by  a  delu- 
sion of  his  optical  nerves,  appeared  to 
be  written  on  the  outer  walls  of  all  the 
adjacent  buildings.  He  then  inquired 
the  probable  worth,  and  was  informed 
that  such  vesting  could  be  purchased  at 
about  two  dollars  and  a  quarter  per 
yard  I     This  was  sufficient. 


Business  Suckers. 

Business  suckers,  as  they  are  appro- 
priately termed,  are  no  small  class  in 
modem  times.  They  are  most  numer- 
ous out  West,  and  ply  their  tactics  after 
a  style  that  leaves  nothing  wanting. 
An  individual  of  this  ilk,  possessed  of 
a  moderate  amount  of  money,  com- 
mences business  in  some  thriving  town. 
He  goes  to  one  of  the  wholesale  mar- 
kets, and  with  one  or  two  commenda- 
tory letters,  but  particularly  with  his 
money,  he  soon  becomes  acquainted — 
at  first  but  limited — but  he  has  only  to 
manage  his  trumps  (money)  with  a  lit- 
tle professional  tact,  and  his  acquaint- 
ance will  very  soon  extend.  At  first 
he  purchases  cautiously,  and  meets  his 
obligations  promptly,  always  managing 
to  have  his  goods  carefully  packed  and 
marked  scientifically,  and  placed  ex- 
posed on  the  street  several  days  before 
he  removes  them  • 


"  Like  books  and  money 
Laid  in  Bhow 
As  nest  eggs 
To  make  clients  lay." 

And  he  succeeds.  He  soon  becomes 
known  as  a  man  of  promptness  and 
capital,  and  doing  a  dashing  business ; 
and  such  a  business  he  does  do,  for  the 
motto  at  home  is  to  seU  low  for  cash — 
never  mind  profits.  His  acquaintance 
is  courted ;  he  is  be-drammed,  be-din- 
nered  and  be-suppered.  Everything 
goes  on  swimmingly,  and  finally  he 
buys  largely,  goes  in  deeply,  makes  one 
grand  manoeuvre — a  most  prodigious 
swell,  and  then  judiciously  and  profitOr 
hly  (to  himself)  explodes. 


Forttine  TVr«,king  in  Havana. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  nearly 
all  the  merchants  and  shopkeepers  of 
Havana  are  native  Spaniards.  A  large 
proportion  of  this  class  come  to  Cuba 
as  adventurers — seekers  of  luck  and  for- 
tune, and  not  particular  as  to  the  ways 
and  means,  though  generally  beginning 
their  mercantile  career  as  clerks,  on 
small  salaries.  After  accumulating,  or 
getting,  five  hundred  dollars,  they  will 
purchase  a  share  in  a  joint-stock  slave- 
trading  company,  and,  in  the  course  of 
a  year  or  two,  receive  a  profit  in  the 
shape  of  a  dividend,  amounting  to  ten 
thousand  dollars,  which  siun,  reinvest- 
ed in  the  same  business,  soon  makes 
them  millionnaires.  These  nabobs  then 
generally  return  to  Spain  to  spend  their 
ill-gotten  fortunes,  leaving  a  plentiful 
crop  of  clerks  to  follow  in  the  footsteps 
of  their  predecessors. 


Cheating  the  Oculist. 

Sir  Willl^m  Smyth,  of  Bedford- 
shire, was  an  immensely  rich  money 
dealer,  but  most  parsimonious  and 
grinding  in  his  dealings.  At  seventy 
years  of  age  he  was  entirely  deprived 
of  his  sight — unable  to  gloat  over  his 
hoarded  heaps  of  gold.  In  this  condi- 
tion he  was  persuaded  by  Taylor,  the 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


213 


celebrated  oculist,  to  be  couched — who 
was,  by  agreement,  to  have  sixty 
guineas  if  he  restored  the  banker  to 
any  degree  of  sight,  Taylor  succeeded 
in  his  operation,  and  Sir  William  was 
enabled  to  read  and  write  without  the 
aid  of  spectacles  during  the  rest  of  his 
life.  But  no  sooner  was  his  sight  re- 
stored, than  the  banker  began  to  regret 
that  his  agreement  had  been  for  so 
large  a  sum.  His  thoughts  were  now 
how  to  cheat  the  oculist.  He  pretend- 
ed that  he  had  only  a  glimmering,  and 
could  see  nothing  distinctly ;  for  which 
reason  the  bandage  on  his  eyes  was  con- 
tinued a  month  longer  than  the  usual 
time.  Taylor  was  deceived  by  these 
representations,  and  agreed  to  com- 
pound the  bargain,  accepting  twenty 
guineas  instead  of  sixty.  At  the  time 
Taylor  attended  him  he  had  a  large 
estate,  an  immense  sum  of  money  in 
the  stocks,  and  tens  of  thousands  in 
gold  at  his  house. 


Hr.  Jones's  Experience  with  Peter 
Funk. 

A  GREENHORN,  named  Mr.  Jones, 
from  Hartford,  is  stopped  while  career- 
ing down  Broadway,  by  the  sound  of  a 
stentorian  voice  from  within,  crying 
"  Going."  He  hears  the  whack  of  the 
auctioneer's  hammer,  and  sees  six  gentle- 
men standing  round  a  table.  "  Things 
are  selling  mighty  cheap  in  there,"  he 
says  to  himself,  and  goes  in.  Peter 
Funk  holds  a  piece  of  linen  in  his 
hands,  and  is  just  on  the  point  of  knock- 
ing it  down  at  six  cents  a  yard — "  fifty- 
five  and  one  half  yards,  going,  at  six 
cents  !  an  awful  sacrifice."  "  Seven,'''' 
hastily  shouts  Jones.  "  Eight,"  says 
Stool  Pigeon.  "Nine,"  says  Jones. 
Whack  goes  the  mallet.  "  Sold,"  says 
Peter.  "  Mr.  Jones,  fifty-five  and  one 
half  yards  of  linen,  at  fifty-nine  cents," 
—touching  lightly  on  the  '  fifty.'  The 
attentive  clerk  beckons  to  Jones,  who 
steps  back  behind  a  mysterious  desk 
with  a  screen  in  front.  Clerk  begins 
to  make  out  the  bill,  while  Jones  lays 


down  a  five-dollar  bank  note  to  pay  for 
the  linen ;  the  money  goes  to  the 
drawer.  Clerk  hands  Jones  the  bill, 
which  may  read  thus  : — 

Mr.  Jones,  bought  of  Peter  Funk,  55i 
yards  Irish  linen,  at  59  c.  per  yd., — 
$32.74. 

Jones  opens  his  eyes ;  clerk  points  to 
the  sum,  and  holds  out  his  right  hand, 
with  the  remark,  "Balance,  |27.74." 
Jones  opens  his  mouth,  and  essays  to 
speak,  but  is  dumbfounded ;  he  has 
Jieam  of  those  pesky  mock  auctions, 
but  never  dreamed  he  should  ever 
blunder  into  one  in  so  respectable  a 
place  as  Broadway.  Mr.  Jones  rumi- 
nates and  pinches  himself  to  see  if  he  is 
dreaming ;  he  is  awake — ^he  is  in  New 
York,  Broadway. 

But  Mr.  Jones,  though  green,  has 
Yankee  presence  of  mind ;  he  forks 
over  the  balance  demanded,  takes  his 
linen  under  his  arm  and  gapes  at  the 
auctioneer,  until  that  functionary  gets 
nervous,  and  announces  that  the  sale  is 
adjourned  for  the  day.  Mr.  Jones,  ac- 
cordingly, to  prevent  being  housed  with 
the  precious  scamps,  steps  out  and 
travels  toward  the  Tombs,  where  he 
finds  a  policeman,  and  tells  his  tale  of 
woe.  In  a  few  moments  the  swindling 
shop  and  the  inmates,  which  meantime 
have  got  under  full  headway  again,  is 


214 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


taken  all  aback  with  an  apparition — it 
is  Mr.  Jones  with  that  linen  under  his 
arm,  and  a  person  with  a  brass  shield 
on  the  lappel  of  his  coat.  The  man 
with  the  shield  takes  the  clerk  by  the 
nape  of  his  neck,  and  starts  him  to- 
ward the  Tombs ;  clerk  remonstrates 
— explains — exclaims,  and  so  on,  but 
keeps  custodially  moving  up  Broadway 
and  through  Chambers  street,  when  all 
of  a  sudden  he  concludes  to  disgorge 
the  $33.74  ;  which  Jones  takes,  thanks 
the  officer,  and  vanishes. 


Connection  between  Small  Bank 
Notes  and  Crime. 

The  fact  appears  to  be  abundantly 
attested  that  the  circulation  of  one- 
pound  bank  notes  in  England  proved, 
at  first,  conducive  to  a  melancholy 
waste  of  human  life.  Considering  the 
advances  made  in  the  mechanical  arts, 
at  the  time  of  their  issue,  they  were 
rough  and  even  rude  in  their  execution. 
Easily  imitated,  they  were  also  easily 
circulated ;  and  from  1797,  the  execu- 
tions for  forgery  augmented  to  an  extent 
which  bore  no  proportion  to  any  other 
class  of  crime.  During  six  years  prior 
to  their  issue,  there  was  but  one  capital 
conviction ;  during  the  four  following 
years,  eighty-five  occurred.  To  prevent 
their  imitation,  most  stringent  penal- 
ties were  ordained,  and,  in  1801,  it  was 
enacted  that,  to  prevent  forgeries,  all 
the  one  and  two  pound  notes  should 
"be  printed  on  a  peculiar  and  pur- 
posely constructed  paper,  having  waved 
or  curved  lines."  But  all  these  endeavors 
to  repress  crime  fell  sadly  short  of  the 
necessity,  and  the  connection  between 
the  issue  of  small  notes  and  the  effu- 
sion of  blood  because  of  their  easy  imi- 
tation was  apparent  enough.  Thus, 
before  1797,  the  Bank  of  England  could 
issue  no  notes  under  five  pounds.  In 
1802,  the  average  number  of  notes  un- 
der that  value  was  about  three  millions 
and  a  half  In  the  former  period  there 
were  no  capital  executions ;  in  the  lat- 
ter, one  hundred  and  sixteen  occurred 


in  four  years.  In  1817,  there  were 
thirty  thousand  forged  notes  of  the  one 
and  two  pounds  class  stopped  at  the 
bank,  nine  hundred  of  five  pounds,  fifty 
of  ten  pounds,  and  two  of  twenty.  The 
crime  is,  therefore,  imputed  to  the  small 
notes ;  and  the  forgery  of  larger  ones  to 
the  habits  of  criminality  originating  in 
the  temptation  of  small  notes. 


Jacob  Sarkef  on  "Thewdness  "  in 
Stock  Dealing:. 

Among  the  new  generation  of  Wall 
street,  Jacob  Barker,  notwithstanding 
his  present  extensive  business  charac- 
ter, is  comparatively  unknown ;  but 
there  was  a  time  when  Jacob  made  his 
mark  upon  the  stock  brokers  and 
money  changers  of  that  monetary  local- 
ity. He  has  long  lived  and  thrived  in 
the  Crescent  City.  Jacob  is  as  active 
and  buoyant  as  most  men  at  thirty-five ; 
he  cannot  be  said,  however,  to  enjoy  a 
green  old  age,  unless  it  may  be  discov- 
ered in  the  suppleness  he  displays,  so 
peculiar  to  youth.  One  of  the  many 
amusing  stories  told  of  him  is  where  a 
gentleman  called  at  his  office  and  de- 
nounced, in  the  most  unmeasured  man- 
ner, certain  persons  who  had  swindled 
him — the  gentleman  (not  Jacob,  by  any 
means) — in  some  stock  transactions. 
Barker  listened  to  the  whole  matter 
with  professional  zest,  and  finding  that 
everything  had  been  done  "  right," 
urged  the  indignant  victim  not  to  go 
on  so,  but  to  forget  the  thing  entirely ; 
"  for,"  said  Jacob,  consolingly,  "  if  you 
thwade  in  stock,  you  must  call  thealing 
thetodness,  or  you  will  constantly  be  out 
of  themper  I " 


Stock  Exchange  Conspiracy.. 
A  STOCK-jOBBrNG  Operation,  which 
was  undertaken  in  England,  in  1814, 
and  which  has  been  celebrated  in  mon- 
etary annals  because  of  its  gigantic  ex- 
tent, will  perhaps  afford  refi'eshing  read- 
ing to  that  not  small  class  who  ply  so 
dexterously  similar  expedients  at  the 
present  day.    The  tale  is  most  unique. 


T  v  PERSMiira 


6miQ^^  £/J.  ,J^^/i/^/^,;    /  'fir 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


215 


On  the  21st  of  February,  1815,  about 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  violent 
knocking  was  heard  at  the  door  of  the 
Ship  Inn,  at  Dover,  On  being  opened, 
the  intruder  announced  himself  as 
Lieutenant-colonel  Du  Bourg,  aide-de- 
camp of  Lord  Cathcart.  His  dress  sup- 
ported the  assertion.  The  richly  em- 
broidered scarlet  uniform,  the  star  on 
the  breast,  the  silver  medal  suspended 
from  his  neck,  the  dark  fur  cap,  with  its 
broad  band  of  gold  lace,  gave  the  wearer 
a  military  appearance.  His  clothes  ap- 
peared wet  with  the  sea  spray,  and  he 
stated  that  he  had  been  brought  over 
by  a  French  vessel,  the  seamen  of  which 
were  afraid  of  landing  at  Dover,  and 
had  placed  him  in  a  boat  about  two 
miles  from  the  shore.  His  news  was  im- 
portant. Bonaparte  had  been  slain  in 
battle.  The  allied  armies  were  in  Paris. 
A  great  victory  had  been  gained,  and 
peace  was  certain. 

He  immediately  ordered  a  post  chaise 
and  four  horses  to  Tae  prepared,  and, 
after  writing  a  letter  in  great  haste  to 
Admiral  Foley,  which  was  despatched 
by  special  messenger  to  Deal,  he  at 
once  departed  for  London.  Wherever 
he  changed  horses  the  news  was  spread, 
and  the  postboys  rewarded  with  napo- 
leons. In  due  time  information  reached 
the  stock  exchange ;  and  it  was  not 
long  before  that  resort  was  filled  with 
rumors  of  general  officers,  despatches 
for  Government,  victories,  and  post 
chaises  and  four.  Expresses  from  the 
various  places  where  Du  Bourg  had 
changed  horses  poured  into  the  prin- 
cipal speculators.  The  funds  rose  on 
the  news.  Application  was  made  to 
the  lord  mayor,  but,  as  his  lordship 
had  received  no  intelligence,  they  de- 
clined. 

On  the  morning  of  the  same  day, 
about  an  hour  before  daylight,  two, 
men,  in  the  habiliments  of  foreigners, 
landed  in  a  six-oared  galley,  called  on 
a  Mr.  Sandon,  at  Northfleet,  and  hand- 
ed him  a  letter,  purporting  to  be  writ- 
ten by  one  whom  he  formerly  knew, 


begging  him  to  take  the  bearers  to 
London,  as  they  had  great  public  news 
to  communicate.  The  request  was  en- 
ergetically complied  with.  Between 
twelve  and  one  o'clock  of  that  day, 
three  persons,  two  of  whom  were  dress- 
ed as  French  officers,  proceeded  in  a 
post  chaise  and  four,  the  horses  of 
which  were  bedecked  with  laurel,  over 
the  then  narrow  and  crowded  thor- 
oughfare of  London  bridge.  While  the 
carriage  proceeded  with  an  almost  os- 
tentatious slowness,  small  billets  were 
scattered  among  the  anxious  gazers,  an- 
nouncing that  Bonaparte  was  dead,  and 
the  allies  in  Paris.  Through  busy  Cheap- 
side  and  crowded  Fleet  street,  the  occu- 
pants of  the  carriage  paraded  their  in- 
telligence. They  passed  over  the  fine 
bridge  of  Blackfriars,  drove  rapidly  to 
the  Marsh  Gate,  got  out,  took  off  their 
military,  put  on  round  hats,  and  speed- 
ily disappeared.  The  news  again  spread 
far  and  wide.  The  neighborhood  of  the 
stock  exchange  was  once  more  fuU  of 
exaggerated  reports.  The  funds  rose. 
What  could  resist  such  accumulated 
evidence  ?  The  aide-de-camp  of  Lord 
Cathcart,  at  Dover ;  the  foreigners  at 
Northfieet  with  despatches ;  private 
expresses  from  various  places,  all  tend- 
ed to  convince  the  members  that  there 
must  be  some  foundation  for  the  re- 
ports. Application  was  made  to  the 
ministry,  but  they  knew  nothing. 
Large  bargains  were  made. 

Altogether,  the  scene  at  the  stock 
exchange  at  this  time  is  spoken  of  by 
those  who  witnessed  it  as  baffling  all 
description.  Yet  still  there  was  some 
doubt,  so  long  as  Government  remained 
ignorant  of  the  important  intelligence. 
And  as  hour  after  hour  of  anxious 
doubt  passed  by,  it  would  be  difficult 
to  imagine  the  feelings  of  many  who 
began  painfully  to  suspect  that  they 
were  victims  of  a  delusion.  To  the 
scene  of  unbounded  joy  and  of  greedy 
expectation  of  gain,  there  succeeded, 
in  a  few  hours,  that  of  disappointment, 
shame    at    having    been    gulled,    the 


216 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


clenching  of  fists,  the  grinding  of  teeth, 
the  tearing  of  hair — all  the  outward 
and  visible  signs  of  those  inward  com- 
motions— disappointed  avarice  in  some, 
consciousness  of  ruin  in  others,  and,  in 
all,  boiling  revenge.  A  committee  was 
appointed  by  the  stock  exchange,  and 
various  circumstances  tending  to  prove 
a  huge  conspiracy  were  discovered.  On 
the  Saturday  preceding  the  Monday  on 
which  the  deception  was  imdertaken, 
consols  and  omnium,  to  the  extent  of 
eight  hundred  and  twenty-six  thousand 
pounds,  were  purchased  for  various  in- 
dividuals, many  of  whom  were  serious- 
ly implicated,  and  some  of  them  suffer- 
ed the  penalties  of  fine  and  imprison- 
ment. 


Blinders  for  Stockholders. 

EvsN  railways  have  their  reckon- 
ings, and  the  time  of  year  comes  when 
they  are  perforce  made  to  show  and 
disgorge  their  gains.  Meetings  are  re- 
luctantly summoned  by  the  directors, 
and  crowds  of  hungry  shareholders  are 
squeezed  together  for  hours  at  a  time. 
If  this  thing  is  not  professionally  un- 
derstood in  America,  it  certainly  is  in 
England. 

The  chairman  pronounces  a  report, 
which  is  second  only  to  a  "  speech 
from  the  throne,"  in  vagueness,  gener- 
ality, and  mystification.  Anon  comes 
the  "clerk  of  the  corporation,"  redo- 
lent of  new  shares,  and  he  thickens  the 
mist  by  a  jumble  of  accounts,  an  incom- 
prehensible hotchpotch  of  loans,  de- 
bentures, calls,  and  balances,  and  gen- 
erally winds  up  his  abstruse  financial 
puzzles  by  a  prophetic  announcement 
that  the  traflBc  next  year  is  sure  to  be 
miprecedented  and  immense — at  which 
every  countenance  is  wreathed  with  the 
genial  smiles  inspired  by  hope. 

All  the  details,  however,  are  Greek 
to  the  poor  shareholders,  who  really 
understand  but  one  word  in  the  whole 
railroad  vocabulary  —  the  welcome 
sound  of  "dividend;"  but  the  fear 


of  being  thought  a  business  nincom- 
poop compels  each  one  to  be  perfectly 
up  to  snuff,  and  wondrously  sage.  It 
is  amusing,  moreover,  to  observe  how 
the  directors  manage  (notwithstanding 
the  "  impertinent "  interruptions  of 
some  inconveniently  acute  shareholder, 
whose  sayings  are  recorded  as  those  of 
"  A  voice "),  somehow  or  other  so  to 
mix  up  this  word  dividend  with  other 
complicated  details,  as  to  leave  the  un- 
happy shareholders  unable  at  the  end 
to  say  whether  they  have  to  receive 
money  or  to  pay  it — the  difference  be- 
ing the  sum. 

How  refreshing,  then,  to  find  that  the 
reports  of  one's  own  pet  line  are  untaint- 
ed by  the  faults  alluded  to  I  The  public 
have  a  right  to  know  this ;  and,  as  a 
pattern  and  incentive  to  other  compa- 
nies, the  following  extracts  are  made 
from  the  last  report  of  the  "  Hum  and 
Diddlesex  Railway,"  England : 

The  chairman  would  now  refer  to 
their  finance  statement  (Hear!).  He 
felt  bound  to  say  it  would  be  found 
most  satisfactory.  £7,000  had  been 
mortgaged  on  annuities  at  par,  and 
their  debentures  were  now  wholly  in- 
dependent of  their  stock  of  engines 
{Cheers,  and  cries  oi Bravo!).  The  per- 
manent way  was  now  in  trust  for  the 
increased  debits  on  the  gradients 
{Hear  !  hear  !).  From  this  it  was  clear 
that  there  was  £4,000  balance  per  con- 
tri  on  the  new  half  shares.  (A  voice, 
"  What's  the  receipts  ?  ")  The  chair- 
man could  not  be  expected  to  go  into 
such  details.  They  had  lately  opened 
six  miles  of  the  "  Nawey  and  Stoker 
Extension  branch,"  which  he  had  no 
doubt  would  pay  well  when  a  town 
had  arisen  at  each  end,  and  trafl5c  was 
induced  between  them.  (A  voice, 
"What's  the  expenditure?")  The 
chairman  begged  not  to  be  interrupted 
in  the  midst  of  his  statement.  The 
meeting  would  observe  one  little  item 
of  £56,000  for  law  expenses.  It  was 
enough  to  say,  they  had  triumphed 
over  their  opponents.    True,  they  had 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


217 


incurred  some  trifling  expense ;  but 
were  they,  he  would  ask,  to  be  insulted 
by  the  "  Grand  Gumption  ? "  {M!)—ot 
by  any  other  line  ?  (No,  no!  and  cheers). 
Then  as  to  the  dividend— ("  Hear,  hear, 
Tiear  !  "  from  all  parts) — the  clerk  had 
recommended  a  net  dividend  of  10  per 
cent.  {Loud  cheers) — on  the  deficit,  and 
this,  after  paying  the  surplus  and  the 
directors'  salaries  (which,  in  justice  to 
those  faithful  servants,  he  was  glad  to 
say  had  been  raised  £500  each  per  an- 
num), left  the  4  per  cent,  incidental  ex- 
penses as  money  in  hand,  which  would 
simply  render  it  necessary  for  the  share- 
holders at  once  to  pay  up  the  late  £20 
calls.  (Sensation.  A  voice,  "  What  is 
the  dividend  to  be  ?  ")  The  chairman 
put  it  to  the  meeting,  whether  the  gen- 
tleman's question  had  not  already  been 
distinctly  answered,  and  after  some  lit- 
tle confusion  he  vacated  the  chair,  and 
the  meeting — ^like  the  dividend — was 
dissolved. 


Virginia  Usurer  Foiled. 

Previously  to  the  Revolutionary 
War,  it  was  provided  by  an  act  of  the 
Assembly  of  Virginia,  that  if  any  bill 
of  exchange  be  drawn  for  the  payment 
of  any  sum  of  money,  and  such  bill  is 
protested  for  non-acceptance  or  non- 
payment, it  shall  bear  interest  from 
the  date,  at  the  rate  of  ten  per  cent, 
per  annum,  until  it  shall  be  paid.  The 
following  curious  circumstance,  in  con- 
nection with  said  law,  took  place  at 
Williamsburg,  Va.,  about  the  year 
1760. 

A  usurious  broker,  not  satisfied  with 
five  per  cent,  legal  interest,  refused  to 
advance  a  sum  of  money  to  a  gentle- 
man, unless,  by  way  of  security,  he 
would  give  a  bill  of  exchange  that 
should  be  returned  protested,  by  which 
he  would  be  entitled  to  ten  per  cent. 
The  gentleman,  who  had  immediate 
occasion  for  the  money,  sat  down, 
drew  a  bill  upon  a  merchant  banker 
in  London,  with  whom  he  had  never 


had  any  transactions,  or  carried  on  the 
least  correspondence.  The  merchant, 
on  receipt  of  the  bill,  observing  the 
name  of  the  drawer,  very  readily  hon- 
ored it,  knowing  the  gentleman  to  be  a 
person  of  large  property,  and  conclud- 
ing that  he  meant  to  enter  into  a  corres- 
pondence with  his  house. 

The  broker,  by  this  turn  in  the  affair, 
became  entitled  to  only  five  per  cent. 
He  was,  therefore,  exceedingly  enraged 
at  being,  as  he  supposed,  thus  tricked, 
and  complained  very  earnestly  to  his 
customer  for  having  giving  him  a  good 
bill  instead  of  a  had  one. 


Kentucky  Hams  and  ITankee 
Nutmegrs. 

SoisrE  time  since,  the  Kentucky  na- 
tion commenced  a  rivalship  with  the 
Yankee  land,  in  the  manufacture  of 
wooden  eatables.  A  merchant  in  Port 
Gibson,  Miss.,  desirous  of  procuring  a 
lot  of  choice  bacon  hams,  requested  his 
agent  at  the  Gulf  to  make  the  purchase 
for  him,  from  the  boats  passing  down 
the  Mississippi.  After  many  fruitless 
inquiries  of  the  passing  craft,  he  met 
with  a  Kentucky  Jonathan,  whose 
loading  was  composed  of  the  nicest 
and  choicest  hams,  all  canvased,  and 
that  which  was  shown  as  a  sample 
looked  so  well,  and  tasted  so  delight- 
fully, that  the  confiding  agent  made 
the  purchase  on  the  spot. 

The  new  Jonathan  had  such  an  inno- 
cent, unsuspected  and  unsuspecting 
countenance,  too — giving  forth  no  scin- 
tillations of  vivacity,  nor  evincing  the 
owner  to  possess  brains  more  acute 
than  a  lobster,  on  any  other  subject 
than  that  of  curing  bacon — the  art  of 
which  appeared  to  have  become  im- 
pressed on  his  cranium,  as  drippings 
wear  the  rock,  or  as  the  knowledge  of 
law  and  physic  reveals  itself  in  the 
physiognomy  of  some  members  of 
those  professions.  Who  would  sus- 
pect Mm  of  perpetrating  a  Yankee  or 
original  art  ?    Straws  show  which  way 


218 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


the  wind  blows ;  but,  alas  !  the  human 
countenance  may  present  an  unsolvable 
enigma,  even  to  the  most  penetrating. 
Was  it  80  in  this  case  ? 

Jonathan's  hams,  when  opened, 
proved  to  be  wood,  neatly  turned  in 
the  shape  of  a  hog's  hind  leg,  and 
excellent  for  oven  fuel — a  recommen- 
dation, by  the  way,  which,  with  char- 
acteristic modesty,  he  had  not  even 
alluded  to.  The  Kentuckian  showed 
that  he  was  '  up  to  a  trick  or  two,' 
and  no  one  will  deny  that  he  threw 
down  the  glove,  once  and  forever,  to 
all  Yankeedom. 


Latest  •'  SeU  "  of  the  Day. 

The  latest '  sell '  of  the  day  origina- 
ted in  the  fertUe  brain  of  a  Baltimore 
clothes  dealer.  He  placed  in  the  pock- 
et of  a  ready-made  coat  an  old  porte- 
monnaie,  and  quietly  awaited  the  ad- 
vent of  a  fitting  customer.  Presently 
enters  an  individual  desiring  to  be 
summer  coated.  After  essaying  several 
coats,  the  dealer  says : 

"Here  is  a  coat  made  for  a  gentle- 
man ;  he  wore  it  one  day  and  sent  it 
back — it  was  too  small  for  him — try 
it  on.  Ah !  it  fits  first  rate,  like  as  if 
it  was  made  for  you.  It  is  well  made  ; 
buttons  sewed  on  strong ;  with  strong 
pockets." 

The  customer  puts  his  hands  into  the 
pockets  to  try  them,  when  his  fingers 
come  in  contact  with  the  pocket  book. 
His  imagination  is  kindled  with  the 
idea  of  appropriating  the  supposed 
treasure. 

"  How  much  did  you  say  the  coat 
was  ?  "  he  eagerly  asks. 

The  dealer  names  a  good  round  sum. 

The  money  is  paid,  and  the  self- 
duped  customer  walks  off  hurriedly 
with  his  supposed  prize — not  stop- 
ping to  hear  the  suppressed  chuckle 
of  the  dealer  as  he  looks  after  him  out 
of  the  comer  of  his  eye. 


Tompkins's  Horse  Trade. 

Tompkins  bought  a  fine  horse — paid 
three  hundred  dollars  for  him.  The 
horse,  after  a  few  months,  proved  to  be 
lame  in  the  right  shoulder.  Tompkins 
was  distressed  about  it.  Tried  all  sorts 
of  remedies — embrocations,  liniments. 
Mustang  included,  under  the  advice 
of  the  very  best  veterinarians,  till  the 
lameness  was  obstinate  and  grew  rather 
worse.  He  became  desperate,  and  hit 
upon  this  device  to  sell  the  horse.  He 
drove  an  ugly  tenpenny  nail  plump  into 
the  right  fore-foot,  and  left  it  there  for 
ten  days ;  when  he  led  the  tortured  ani- 
mal limping  to  a  neighboring  black- 
smith, to  be  shod.  The  blacksmith  was 
a  dealer  in  horses,  and  quite  a  jockey  in 
his  way.  After  a  while,  Tompkins 
called  at  the  shop  for  his  horse. 
"  That's  a  splendid  gelding  of  yours, 
Mr.  Tompkins — pity  he's  so  lame,"  says 
the  smith.  "  He  is,  indeed,"  replied 
Tompkins ;  "  but  he  is  very  lame,  and 
I'm  afraid  he  can't  be  cured."  "  Per- 
haps not,  and  may  be  he  can,"  says 
Vulcan ;  "  how  much  would  you  be 
willing  to  take  for  him,  just  as  he 
stands,  Mr.  Tompkins,  money  down  ? " 
"  Ah,  well,  I  don't  know  what  to  say 
about  that.  If  he  is  cured,  he  is  worth 
all  I  paid  for  him,  and  even  much 
more,  as  prices  go  now;  but  if  his 
lameness  should  continue,  you  see  he 
is  worth  nothing — not  a  dollar."  The 
blacksmith  began  to  chaffer.  First  he 
offered  fifty  dollars,  then  one  hundred, 
and  at  last  two  hundred,  for  the  ani- 
mal. Tompkins  was  persuaded,  and 
accepted  the  last  offer.  The  money 
was  paid,  and  the  horse  delivered  on 
the  spot.  "  Now,"  says  the  black- 
smith, "  as  the  bargain  is  fijiished,  I 
will  be  frank  with  you,  Mr.  Tompkins. 
I  suppose  I  can  tell  you  just  exactly 
what  ailed  that  horse."  "  Can  you  ? " 
says  Tompkins,  "  well,  I  shall  be  glad 
to  hear  it.  I  thought  you  must  know 
all  about  it,  or  you  would  not  have 
paid  me  so  much   money  for  him." 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


219 


The  blacksmith  produced  the  nail, 
and  assured  Tompkins,  with  great 
apparent  satisfaction,  that  while  par- 
ing down  the  horse's  hoofs  he  had 
found  that  long  piece  of  iron,  and 
drawn  it  out  of  the  frog  of  the  near 
forefoot."  "  Is  that  all  you  know  about 
it?"  Tompkins  asked,  very  quietly. 
"  All  I "  replied  the  blacksmith—"  all  1 
isn't  that  enough,  for  conscience'  sake  ? " 
"Well,"  replied  Tompkins,  "I  don't 
know  as  it  is.  I  will  be  equally  frank 
with  you,  since  the  bargain  is  finished. 
/  drove  the  nail  into  the  foot,  but  the 
lameness  is  in  the  shoulder.'''' 


"Old  Vinter's"  Bank  BiUs. 

Away  down  East — that  convenient 
but  much  abused  locality  for  pointing 
a  story — a  wealthy  old  merchant,  who 
was  especially  fond  of  a  glass  of  good 
brandy,  had  established  a  bank,  and, 
liking  his  own  face  better  than  any 
one's  else,  showed  his  frankness  by 
placing  it  on  both  ends  of  his  bank 
bills.  One  evening,  a  bill  of  this 
description  was  offered  at  the  village 
hotel,  and  was  thought  to  be  a  counter- 
feit. "  Put  a  glass  of  brandy  to  the 
picter,"  proposed  a  wag,  "  and  if  his 
mouth  opens,  you  may  be  sure  it  is  one 
of  old  Vinter's." 


Transactions  in  Worsteds. 

A  MAN  some  six  feet  three  inches  in 
height,  and  of  herculean  build,  went 
into  a  Worcester  shopkeeper's  estab- 
lishment, and  asked  if  they  had  got 
any  "  whirlers  " — by  which  he  meant, 
stockings  without  feet,  supposing,  of 
course,  that  they  were  to  be  obtained 
of  any  "  worsted  "  merchant. 

"  No,"  said  the  shopkeeper,  "  but  we 
have  got  some  famous  big  and  strong 
stockings,  as  will  just  suit  such  a  man 
as  you." 

"  Let's  ha'e  a  look  at  'em,"  said  the 
man. 

The  counter  was  immediately  covered 


with  a  quantity.  The  working  Hercules 
selected  the  largest  pair — of  mammoth 
size — and  said : 

"  What's  the  price  of  them  ? " 

"  Four  shillings  and  ninepence,"  was 
the  reply. 

"  Can  you  cut  the  feet  off  of  them  ? " 
was  the  next  query. 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  rejoined  the  shop- 
keeper. 

"  Then  just  cut  them  off,"  was  the 
laconic  direction. 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  The  long 
shop  shears  were  applied,  and  instantly 
the  stockings  were  footless. 

"  And  what's  the  price  of  'em  now  ?  " 
asked  the  customer,  with  all  the  com- 
posure imaginable. 

"  Price  of  them  now  ! "  exclaimed 
the  '  worsted  '  merchant,  surprised  be- 
yond measure  at  the  absurdity  of  the 
question ;  "  why,  four  shillings  and 
ninepence,  to  be  sure  ! " 

"  Four  shillings  and  ninepence  ! "  ex- 
claimed the  customer ;  "  I  never  gave 
but  one  shilling  and  sixpence  for  a  pair 
of  '  whirlers '  in  my  life  " — and  he  laid 
down  that  amount  upon  the  counter. 

"  Well,''' replied  the  tradesman,  chop- 
fallen  and  fairly  outwitted,  throwing 
the  mutilations  at  him,  "  take  them 
and  be  off  with  you  !  You've  '  whirled ' 
me  this  time,  but  I'll  take  good  care 
that  neither  you  nor  any  of  your  ro- 
guish gang  shall  do  it  again,  as  long 
as  /live." 

This  case  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
cute  Yankee  auctioneer,  who,  after  dis- 
posing of  a  violin,"  after  a  hard  bidding, 
to  a  close-fisted  buyer,  went  on — "  Now, 
gentlemen,  how  much  m'  offered  for  the 
low  f — how  much  ? — how  much  ? — how 
much  m'  offered  for  the  bow?"  Ex- 
postulation was  useless.  The  fiddle 
and  the  bow,  he  said,  were  in  separate 
'  classes ; '  so  that  the  former  proved 
not  so  very  cheap  after  all. 


Barg'ains  in  "Cochin-Chinas." 
In  the  humorous  account  given  by 
Burnham,  of  his  experience  in  the  fowl 


220 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


trade,  which  a  few  years  ago  went  to 
such  preposterous  lengths,  he  thus 
sketches  one  of  the  "  bargains  "  of  that 
day: 

A  splendid  open  carriage  halted 
before  my  door,  one  day,  and  there 
alighted  from  it  a  fine,  portly-looking 
man,  whom  I  had  never  seen  before, 
and  whose  name  I  did  not  then  learn  ; 
who,  leaving  an  elegant  dressed  lady 
behind  in  the  vehicle,  called  for  me. 
I  saw  and  recognized  the  carriage, 
however,  as  one  of  Niles's,  and  I 
was  satisfied  that  it  came  from  the 
Tremont  House,  Boston.  As  soon  as 
the  gentleman  spoke,  I  was  also  satis- 
fied fi"om  his  manner  of  speech,  that 
he  was  a  Southerner.  He  was  polite 
and  frank,  apparently ;  I  invited  him 
in,  and  he  went  to  look  at  my  fowls, 
that  being  the  object,  he  said,  of  his 
visit.  He  examined  them  all,  and  said 
quietly : 

"I'd  like  to  get  a  half  dozen  of 
these,  if  they  didn't  come  too  high ; 
but  I  understand  you  fanciers  have 
got  the  price  up.  I  used  to  buy  these 
chickens  for  a  dollar  .  apiece.  Now, 
they  say,  you're  asking  five  dollars  each 
for  them." 

I  showed  him  my  stock — the  '■'■  pure- 
bred  "  ones, — and  informed  him  at  once 
that  I  had  not  sold  any  of  my  chickens, 
latterly,  at  less  than  forty  dollars  a  pair. 
He  was  astounded.  He  didn't  want 
any — much  ;  that  is,  he  wasn't  particu- 
lar. Shouldn't  pay  that,  nohow;  he 
could  buy  them  for  five  dollars,  wanted 
them  for  his  boy;  w'ould  come  again 
and  see  about  it,  «fec.,  &c.  A  five-year- 
old  stag  mounted  the  low  fence  at  this 
moment,  and  sent  forth  an  electrifying 
crow,  such  as  would  (at  that  period) 
have  taken  a  novice  "  right  out  of  his 
boots;"  and  a  beautiful  eight-pound 
pullet  showed  herself  beside  him  at 
the  same  time.  The  stranger  turned 
round,  and  said : 

"  There !  What  is  your  price  for 
such  a  pair  as  that,  for  instance  ? " 

"  Not  for  sale,  sir." 


"  But  you  win  sell  them,  I  s'pose  ? " 

"  No,  sir,  I  have  younger  ones  to  dis- 
pose of ;  but  that  pair  are  my  models. 
I  can't  sell  themy  The  gentleman's 
eye  was  exactly  filled  with  this  pair  of 
chickens. 

"  What  will  you  take  for  those  two 
fowls  ?  " 

"  One  hundred  dollars,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"  I  guess  you  will — ^when  you  can 
get  it,"  he  added.  "  Name  your  lowest 
price,  now,  for  those  ?  I  want  good 
ones,  if  any." 

"  I  prefer  to  keep  them,  rather  than 
to  part  with  them  at  any  price,"  I  in- 
sisted. "  If,  however,  a  gentleman  like 
yourself,  who  evidently  knows  what 
good  fowls  are,  desires  to  procure  the 
choicest  specimens  in  the  country,  why, 
I  confess  to  you  that  those  are  the  per- 
sons into  whose  hands  I  prefer  that  my 
best  stock  should  fall.  But  I  will  show 
you  some  at  a  lower  figure,"  I  contin- 
ued, driving  this  pair  from  the  fence. 

"  Don't  you !  Don't  drive  'em  away  ! " 
said  the  gentleman ; — "  let's  see.  That's 
the  cock  ? " 

«  Yes,  sir." 

"  And  this  is  the  hen  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"  One  hundred  dollars  !  You  don't 
mean  this,  of  course,"  he  persisted. 

"No,  I  mean  that  I  would  rather 
keep  them,  sir." 

"Well— I'll— teib  «/^^«i,"  said  the 
stranger:  "It's  cruel.  But,  I'll  take 
them ; "  and  he  paid  me  five  twenty- 
dollar  gold  pieces  down  on  the  spot, 
for  two  ten-months-old  chickens,  from 
my  "splendid"  Royal  Cochin-China 
fowls. 


Messrs.  Moan  &  Qroan  of  Cypress 
Row. 

The  "  mourning  "  shopkeepers  have 
a  peculiarly  benevolent  eye  to  the 
griefs  and  necessities  of  those  families 
into  which  death  enters.  This  is  con- 
dolingly  manifested  by  their  sending 
to  such  a  family  a  remarkably  neat 
envelope,  with  a  handsomely  embossed 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


221 


border,  bearing  the  words, '  On  especial 
service,''  under  the  address,  and  winged 
with  an  appropriate  stamp.  The  en- 
closure is  a  specimen  of  fine  printing 
on  smooth,  thin  vellum,  in  the  form 
of  a  quarto  catalogue,  with  a  deep, 
black-bordered  title  page,  emanating 
from  the  dreary  establishment  of 
Messrs.  Moan  &  Groan,  of  Cypress 
Row. 

Here  commerce  condescends  to  sym- 
pathy, and  measures  forth  to  bereaved 
and  afflicted  humanity  the  outward  and 
visible  symbols  of  their  hidden  griefs. 
Here,  when  you  enter  his  gloomy  pene- 
tralia, and  invoke  his  services,  the  sa- 
ble-clad and  cadaverous-featured  shop- 
man asks  you,  in  a  sepulchral  voice 
and  with  quivering  lip,  whether  you 
are  to  be  suited  for  inextinguishable 
sorrow,  or  for  mere  passing  grief;  and 
if  you  are  at  aU  in  doubt  on  the  sub- 
ject, he  can  solve  the  problem  for  you, 
if  you  lend  him  your  confidence  for  the 
occasion.  He  knows,  from  long  and 
melancholy  observation,  the  agonizing 
intensity  of  woe  expressed  by  bomba- 
zine, crape,  and  Paramatta;  can  tell 
to  a  sigh  the  precise  amount  of  regret 
that  resides  in  a  black  bonnet  ;  and 
can  match  any  degree  of  internal 
anguish  with  its  corresponding  shade 
of  color,  from  the  utter  desolation  and 
inconsolable  wretchedness  of  dead  and 
dismal  black,  to  the  transient  senti- 
ment of  sorrowful  remembrance  so  ap- 
propriately symbolized  by  the  faintest 
shade  of  lavender  or  French  gray. 

Messrs.  Moan  &  Groan  also  know 
well  enough,  that  when  the  heart  is 
burdened  with  sorrow,  considerations 
of  economy  are  likely  to  be  banished 
from  the  mind  as  quite  out  of  place, 
and  disrespectful  to  the  memory  of 
the  departed ;  and,  therefore,  they  do 
not  insult  the  lacerated  sensibilities 
of  their  sorrowing  patrons  with  the 
sublunary  details  of  dollars  and  cents. 
They  speed  on  the  wings  of  the  post 
to  the  house  of  mourning,  with  the 
benevolent  purpose  of  comforting  the 


afflicted  household.  They  are  the  first, 
after  the  stroke  of  calamity  has  fallen, 
to  mingle  the  business  of  life  with  its 
regrets,  and  to  seek  to  cover  the  woes 
of  the  past  with  the  allowable  vanities 
of  the  present. 

It  is  their  painful  calling  to  lead 
their  melancholy  patrons,  step  by  step, 
along  the  cypress  margin  of  their  flow- 
ing pages — from  the  very  borders  of 
the  tomb,  through  all  the  intermediate 
changes  by  which  sorrow  publishes 
to  the  world  its  gradual  subsidence, 
and  land  them  at  last  on  the  sixteenth 
page,  restored  to  themselves  and  to 
society,  in  the  front  box  of  the  Opera, 
glittering  in  '  splendid  head  dresses 
in  pearl,'  in  '  fashionably  elegant  tur- 
bans,' and  in  '  dresses  trimmed  with 
blonde  and  Brussels  lace.' 

Strong  in  their  modest  sense  of 
merit,  Messrs.  Moan  &  Groan  make  no 
sordid  array  of  prices — oh,  no  !  They 
offer  you  all  that  in  mourning  you  can 
possibly  want ;  they  scorn  to  do  you  the 
disgrace  of  imagining  that  you  would 
drive  a  bargain  on  the  very  brink  of 
the  grave ;  and  you  are  of  course 
obliged  to  them  for  the  delicacy  of 
their  resefve  on  so  mercenary  and  ple- 
beian a  point — spaying  their  bill  in 
decorous  disregard  of  the  amount.  It 
is  true  that  certain  envious  rivals 
have  compared  them  to  birds  of  prey, 
scenting  mortality  from  afar,  and 
hovering  like  vultures  on  the  trail 
of  death  in  order  to  profit  by  his 
dart ;  but  such  '  caparisons,'  as  Mrs. 
Malaprop  says,  '  are  odorous,'  and  we 
will  have  nothing  to  do  with  them. 


Croestis  and  his  Avaricions  Guest. 

It  is  related  of  this  well-to-do  buUion- 
naire,  that  his  messengers,  having  on  one 
occasion  been  kindly  treated  by  a  fami- 
ly at  Athens,  he  in  return  invited  one 
of  that  family  to  visit  him,  and  on  his 
arrival  made  to  him  the  offer  of  as 
much  gold  as  he  could  personally 
carry.     The   visitor,  with    avaricious 


222 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


eagerness  to  enhance  the  value  of  the 
gift,  provided  himself  with  a  large 
cloak,  in  which  were  many  folds,  and, 
with  the  most  capacious  boots  that  he 
could  procure,  followed  Croesus  into 
the  treasury,  where,  rolling  among  the 
gold,  he  first  stuflfed  his  boots  or  bus- 
kins as  full  as  he  could,  and  then  filled 
all  the  folds  of  his  robes,  his  hair,  and 
even  his  mouth  with  gold  dust.  This 
done,  with  great  difficulty  he  stagger- 
ed from  the  place — from  his  swelling 
mouth  and  projections  all  around  him, 
resembling  anything  rather  than  a  man. 
Croesus,  who,  probably  from  politeness, 
had  left  him  alone  to  help  himself, 
when  he  saw  him  come  out,  burst  into 
laughter,  and  not  oiJy  suflFered  him  to 
carry  away  all  he  had  got,  but  added 
other  presents  equally  valuable. 


Savin?  the  Pieces.    Girard  ajid  bis 
Brother. 

It  is  known  that  Girard  entertained 
a  perfect  horror  of  parting  with  even 
the  most  trivial  object  in  his  possession, 
without  receiving,  in  every  case,  a  prop- 
er equivalent  therefor.  It  seems  that 
on  one  occasion,  his  brother.  Captain 
John  Girard,  when  fitting  out  a  schoon- 
er for  Cape  Francois,  had  use  for  some 
pieces  of  glass  for  his  cabin  window,  and 
observing  the  fragments  of  several  boxes 
of  that  article  in  his  brother  Stephen's 
store,  and  knowing  that  the  pieces  were 
of  little  or  no  use  to  the  owner,  he  so 
far  presumed  on  the  privileges  of  con- 
sanguinity, as  to  go  and  appropriate  a 
few  of  the  fragments  for  the  pui-pose  in 
question — when,  while  he  was  in  the 
very  act,  Stephen  suddenly  pounced 
upon  him,  loudly  deprecating  the  in- 
tended abstraction  of  his  broken  prop- 
erty, as  if  ruin  would  ensue  from  the 
loss  of  a  few  fractured  panes  of  glass 
for  which  he  had  no  earthly  use.  He 
continued  to  vent  a  torrent  of  ribaldry 
and  invective  upon  his  brother  John — 
the  very  atmosphere  was  blue  with  his 
indignation.  The  temperament  of  John 
was  of  a  milder  and  more  conciliating 


character  than  that  of  Stephen,  so 
that  he  always  retreated  from  the 
arbitrary  and  boisterous  ebullitions  of 
his  brother. 


"Merchant  of  Venice "—Shylock's 
Commercial  Character  Vindicated. 

A  NEW  version  of  Shakspeare's 
"Merchant  of  Venice"  has  recently 
been  given  by  a  Jewish  writer,  which 
exhibits  the  commercial  transactions 
of  that  renowned  personage  in  quite  a 
diflferent  aspect  than  heretofore.  Ac- 
cording to  this  authority,  the  play  is 
founded  on  fact,  with  this  important 
distinction,  that  it  was  the  Jew  who 
was  to  forfeit  the  pound  of  flesh  if 
he  had  lost  the  wager.  The  circum- 
stance transpired,  not  at  Venice,  but  in 
Rome,  during  the  pontificate  of  Sixtus 
the  Fifth.  The  Jew  lost;  the  other 
party  demanded  the  pound  of  flesh ; 
the  Jew  demurred  and  offered  money, 
which  was  refused.  Sixtus,  to  whom 
the  matter  was  at  last  submitted,  de- 
cided against  the  Jew,  and  that  exactly 
one  pound  of  flesh  should  be  cut  from 
him — not  one  grain  more  or  less,  on 
pain  of  the  cutter  being  hanged ;  the 
latter  very  naturally  declined  the  risk, 
and  the  pope  fined  both  parties  in 
heavy  sums  for  engaging  in  such  a 
transaction.  Thus  old  Shylock's  com- 
mercial character  is  vindicated  at  last 
— though  the  old  version  of  the  story 
will  probably  continue  to  be  the  popu- 
lar one. 


'P.  D.' 


English  grocers  have  never  enjoyed 
an  immaculate  reputation  in  the  matter 
of  adulterating  goods.  Not  a  few  of 
their  most  costly  wares  are  temptingly 
capable  of  easy  and  generally  harmless 
mixture.  Conscience  is  generally  train- 
ed to  the  posture  or  practice  habitual 
to  the  trade.  Of  course,  the  grocer  has 
exceedingly  good  reasons  for  his  ap- 
prentices, why  they  should  adulterate. 
Yet  if  he  went  to  the  drygoods  dealer, 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


223 


and  found  that  for  linen  he  had  bought 
a  mixture  of  cotton  and  flax,  he  would 
call  that  dealer  a  cheat.  Or  if  he  found 
that  tlie  silversmith  had  sold  him  plat- 
ed spoons  for  silver  spoons — zounds ! 
It  happens  that  only  in  his  own  line  of 
business,  such  strong  reasons  exist  for 
"  doctoring  "  and  "  deaconing." 

It  happened  that  in  the  early  busi- 
ness days  of  Mr.  A.,  a  grocer,  pepper 
was  under  a  heavy  tax ;  and  in  the 
trade,  universal  tradition  said  that  out 
of  the  trade  everybody  expected  pepper 
to  be  mixed.  Well,  in  the  shop  of  said 
grocer  stood  a  cask  labelled  "  P.  D.," 
containing  something  very  like  pepper 
dust,  wherewith  it  was  used  to  mix  the 
pepper  before  sending  it  forth  to  serve 
the  public.  The  trade  tradition  had 
obtained  for  the  apocryphal  P.  D.  a 
place  among  the  standard  articles  of 
the  shop,  and  on  the  strength  of  that 
tradition  it  was  vended  for  pepper  by 
men  who  thought  they  were  doing  the 
right  thing — by  themselves. 

Now  this  P.  D.  began  to  give  the 
clerk  no  little  discomfort.  Considering 
all  that  might  be  said,  pro  and  con,  he 
came  to  the  downright  conclusion  that 
it  was  wrong.  He  instantly  decreed 
that  P.  D.  should  perish.  It  was  night ; 
but  back  he  went  to  the  shop,  took  the 
hypocritical  cask,  carried  it  to  a  neigh- 
boring quany,  then  staved  it,  and  scat- 
tered P.  D.  among  the  clods  and  slag 
and  stones. 

But  this  P.  D.  is  not  wholly  confined 
to  grocers'  traffic.  The  shipowner  has 
a  ship  which  has  become  too  old  to 
carry  sugar  from  the  West  Indies,  with- 
out damaging  it  by  leakage  ;  so  he  fits 
her  out  as  a  passenger  ship,  and  adver- 
tizes her  for  Sidney,  as  "  the  well- 
known,  favorite,  fast-sailing  ship" — 
and  that  is  P.  D.  The  coi'n  merchant 
has  a  cargo  damaged  in  a  gale  at  sea ; 
but  as  the  underwriters  will  not  pay 
unless  the  captain  can  swear  that  the 
vessel  struck,  the  merchant,  who  was 
snug  in  his  bed  when  the  gale  blew, 
tries  to  show  the  captain  very  conclu- 


sively that,  just  off  Flambeau  Head, 
the  keel  did  actually  touch  the  ground, 
and  that  therefore  he  may  safely  take 
the  requisite  oath — and  that  is  P.  D. 
The  director  of  some  joint-stock  com- 
pany, who  sees  that  the  concern  is  hol- 
low and  all  dis-jointed,  sells  out  his  own 
shares,  but  retains  his  place  until  the 
period  during  which  he  is  liable  is 
past,  that  no  one  else  may  take  fright ; 
— P.  D.  The  jobber  is  standing  by  a 
parcel  of  goods  which  have  been  on  his 
hands  for  a  considerable  time ;  a  cus- 
tomer enters,  and  is  received  with 
smiles  :  "  Are  these  new  ?  "  "  The  latest 
things  we  have — just  out,  in  fact.  I 
almost  thought  you  would  look  in  to- 
day, and  have  this  moment  had  the 
parcel  opened  for  you ;  " — P.  D.  Well, 
there  is  more  or  less  P.  D.  under  every 
trader's  roof.  But  it  is  bad.  Stave 
the  cask  in  pieces. 


Bad  Business. 

KoHii,  in  his  Travels  in  Russia,  ob- 
serves, that  while  at  Moscow,  he  hap- 
pened to  take  a  stroll  through  one  of 
the  markets  of  that  city.  He  saw  there 
a  man  who  was  employed  to  sell  frozen 
fish  by  the  pound.  "  Friend,"  said  he 
to  him,  "  how  do  you  come  on  in  your 
business  ? "  "  Thank  God,"  replied  the 
man,  "  very  badly." 


Commercial  Uilk. 

A  SUGGESTION  has  recently  been  made 
for  the  supply  of  London  with  pure 
country  milk,  in  lieu  of  that  wishy- 
washy  triumph  of  art  over  nature,  which 
flows,  morning  and  afternoon,  into  jugs 
and  mugs,  from  a  thousand  milk  cans 
— so  called. 

Such  an  announcement  has  shaken,  as 
if  with  a  panic,  all  the  metropolitan 
pans ;  and  those  purveyors  who  have 
dealt  in  new  milk  from  the  pump  and 
chalk  pit,  without  ever  having  been  in 
possession  of  a  single  pair  of  horns, 
have  been  cowed  all  of  a  sudden  by  the 


224 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


very  thought  of  the  introduction  of  the 
bovine  article.  And  yet,  so  unaccus- 
tomed are  the  Londoners  to  anything 
else  but  the  well-known  chalk  mixture, 
that  the  probability  is  that  the  pure  arti- 
cle will — like  the  genuine  squeak  of  the 
pig  in  the  fable — be  pronounced  far  in- 
ferior to  the  imitation  with  which  use 
or  abuse  has  rendered  us  so  familiar. 

London,  in  fact,  knows  nothing  of 
real  milk,  which  differs  as  thoroughly 
as  chalk  is  unlike  cheese,  from  the  spu- 
rious stuff  which  now  finds  its  way  into 
the  coffee  and  tea  cup.  Commercial 
milk  is  a  compound  which  any  consci- 
entious cow  would  indignantly  repudi- 
ate. As  has  already  been  hinted,  the 
Londoner  literally  knows  nothing  of 
milk ;  for  of  the  stuff  he  has  been 
taught  to  accept  as  "  milk,"  he  knows 
it  would  be  idle  to  attempt  even  to 
skim  the  surface.  It  is  understood 
that  the  chalk  market  immediately  be- 
gan to  show  symptoms  of  weakness  at 
the  bare  rumor  of  real  milk  being  in- 
troduced into  the  metropolis,  especially 
when  coupled  with  the  current  appre- 
hension of  a  short  supply  of  water  in 
the  city  and  suburbs. 


Dangers  of  liegritimate  Business 
Transactions. 

The  dangers  attending  unlawful 
business  transactions  are  sometimes 
fully  matched  by  those  which  accom- 
pany dealings  that  are  entirely  legiti- 
mate. On  one  occasion,  a  merchant  in 
London,  having  requested  his  broker  to 
purchase  a  certain  amount  of  stock,  and 
having  concluded  his  business,  was  sur- 
prised in  the  evening  to  hear  his  broker 
announced  as  a  visitor.  Some  remark 
being  made,  the  latter  stated  that  a  dis- 
pute had  arisen  with  the  jobber  about 
the  price  which  was  in  the  receipt, 
and  he  should  be  glad  to  take  it  with 
him  as  an  evidence  of  his  correctness. 
Knowing  that  a  stock  receipt  is  in  it- 
self of  no  value,  the  buyer  readily  com- 
plied.   His  visitor  thanked  him,  and 


from  that  moment  was  never  heard  of- 
The  receipt  was  false,  the  names  were 
forged ;  and,  secure  in  the  possession 
of  all  evidence  against  him,  the  broker 
sought  a  foreign  land  in  which  to  enjoy 
his  iU-gotten  gains. 


Hardening:  Tendency  of  Business. 

Remarking  on  the  state  of  trade  in 
one  of  the  large  cities,  a  commercial 
editor  states  that  "  the  hardening  ten- 
dency of  prices  still  continues."  It  is  a 
pity  that  something  cannot  be  done  to 
counteract  the  hardening  effect  of  busi- 
ness generally  on  the  population  of  some 
of  our  mercantile  and  manufacturing 
cities. 


Tragrical  Result  of  Lcsingr  Bank  Notes. 

One  of  the  most  tragical  events  iu 
the  business  world  took  place  a  while 
ago  in  St.  Petersburg.  The  agent  of 
a  banker,  who  had  been  to  the  bank  to 
receive  the  value  of  fifteen  thousand 
silver  roubles,  lost  the  package  of  bank 
notes  on  his  return.  The  money  was 
picked  up  by  a  clerk,  who,  instead  of 
giving  the  funds  at  once  to  the  owner, 
followed  the  agent  to  his  destination, 
and  in  this  way  ascertained  his  name. 
The  clerk  then  returned  home,  hesitat- 
ing in  his  own  mind  how  he  should  act. 
When  he  arrived  there,  a  violent  quar- 
rel took  place  between  him  and  his 
wife,  the  latter  wishing  to  keep  the 
money.  The  clerk,  however,  on  the 
following  day,  went  to  the  house  of  the 
owner  to  deliver  the  money,  but  the 
banker  would  not  receive  it,  saying  his 
agent  had  committed  suicide  in  the 
night,  on  account  of  the  loss.  Over- 
come "with  remorse,  the  clerk  returned 
home,  where  he  found  that  during  his 
absence  his  wife  had  hanged  herself, 
from  vexation  at  not  having  kept  the 
money.  He  immediately  cut  down  the 
body,  and  hung  himself  with  the  same 
rope. 


TRADE   AND   BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


225 


Morocco  Pocket  Book  !DIen. 

The  "  Morocco  men,"  so  called  from 
the  red  morocco  pocket  books  which 
they  carried,  were  a  remarkable  feature 
in  the  London  money  dealings  of  half 
a  century  ago.  They  began  their  lives 
as  pigeons ;  they  closed  them  as  rooks. 
They  had  lost  their  own  fortunes  in 
their  youth ;  they  lost  those  of  others 
in  their  age.  Generally  educated,  and 
of  bland  manners,  a  mixture  of  the  gen- 
tleman and  the  debauchee,  they  easily 
penetrated  into  the  society  they  sought 
to  destroy.  They  were  seen  in  the 
deepest  alleys  of  Saint  Giles's,  and  were 
met  in  the  fairest  circles  as  well.  In 
the  old  hall  of  the  country  gentleman, 
in  the  mansion  of  the  city  merchant,  in 
the  butlery  of  the  rural  squire,  in  the 
homestead  of  the  farmer,  among  the 
reapers  as  they  worked  on  the  hillside, 
with  the  peasant  as  he  rested  from  his 
daily  toU — addressing  all  with  specious 
promises,  and  telling  lies  like  truth — 
was  the  morocco  man  found,  treading 
alike  the  finest  and  the  foulest  scenes 
of  society.  They  whispered  beguiling 
temptation  to  the  innocent ;  they  hint- 
ed at  easy  fraud  to  the  novice.  They 
lured  the .  youthful ;  they  excited  the 
aged ;  and  no  place  was  so  pure,  and 
no  spot  so  degraded,  but,  for  love  of 
seven  and  one-half  per  cent.,  did  the 
morocco  man  mark  it  with  his  pestilen- 
tial presence.  No  valley  was  so  lonely, 
but  what  it  found  some  victim ;  no  hill 
so  remote,  but  what  it  offered  some 
chance ;  and  so  enticing  were  their 
manners,  that  their  presence  was 
sought,  and  their  appearance  wel- 
comed, with  all  the  eagerness  of  ava- 
rice. 


East  India  Company  and  the  Missing' 
"Witness. 

A  century  ago  was  the  hanging  cen- 
tuiy ;  and  a  great  fraud  was  committed 
toward  its  close  upon  the  East  India 
Company — one  of  the  most  peculiar  in 
the  annals  of  crime,  as  related  to  busi- 
15 


ness.  The  leading  witness — the  only 
man  who  could  prove  the  guilt  of  the 
accused — was  accustomed  to  visit  a 
house  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Bank,  to  be  dressed  and  powdered,  ac- 
cording to  the  fashion  of  the  day. 
Shortly  before  the  trial  came  on,  a  note 
was  placed  in  his  hands,  informing 
him  that  the  attorney  for  the  prosecu- 
tion was  desirous  of  seeing  him,  at  a 
certain  hour,  at  his  private  residence, 
in  or  near  Portland  Place. 

At  the  time  appointed,  the  witness 
proceeded  to  the  house ;  the  door  was 
opened,  and  the  footman,  without  ask- 
ing his  name,  ushered  the  visitor  into 
a  large  room,  where,  discussing  some 
wine  upon  the  table,  sat  a  group  of 
gentlemen  in  earnest  conversation. 
"  There  is  a  mistake,"  exclaimed  the 
new  comer,  thinking  he  had  been 
shown  into  the  wrong  room.  "  No 
mistake,  sir,"  interrupted  one,  in  a  de- 
termined tone,  while  the  remainder  sat 
quietly  but  sternly  by.  Unable  to  com- 
prehend the  scene,  and  in  some  alarm, 
the  visitor  prepared  to  leave  the  room. 
"  There  is  no  mistake,"  repeated  the 
same  person,  unostentatiously  stepping 
before  the  door ;  "  I  am,"  he  continued, 
"  brother  to  that  gentleman  who  is  to 
be  tried  for  forgery,  and  against  whom 
you  are  the  chief  witness;  the  honor 
of  a  noble  house  is  at  stake  ;  and  your 
first  attempt  to  escape -will  lead  to  a 
violent  death.  There  is  nothing  to 
fear,  if  you  remain  quiet ;  but  all  whom 
you  see  are  sworn  to  detain  you  until 
the  trial  be  over,  or,"  he  added,  after  a 
pause,  "  to  slay  you."  The  witness  was 
a  sensible  man ;  he  saw  the  determined 
looks  of  those  around ;  and  thought  it 
best  quietly  to  acquiesce. 

In  the  mean  time,  great  surprise  was 
excited  in  the  city.  That  the  missing 
man  had  been  inveigled  away  was  uni- 
versally believed ;  and  every  endeavor 
was  made  to  track  him.  Whether  the 
calmness  with  which  he  bore  his  con- 
finement deceived  his  jailers,  is  not 
known ;  but  it  is  certain  that  he  effect- 


226 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


ed  his  escape  from  the  house,  although 
not  so  securely  but  that  his  captors 
were  after  him  before  he  could  get  out 
of  sight.  A  mob  collected ;  bis  pur- 
suers declared  that  he  was  an  insane 
nobleman,  and  that  they  were  his  keep- 
ers. The  mob  shouted  with  delight  at 
the  idea  of  a  mad  lord  ;  and  the  unfor- 
tunate man  was  on  the  point  of  being 
again  confined,  when  a  carriage  drove 
up.  The  inmate,  a  lady,  desired  the 
coachman  to  stop,  and  she  listened  to 
the  counter  statements  of  the  pursued 
and  his  pursuers.  Remembering  the 
current  story  of  a  missing  witness,  she 
opened  the  carriage,  he  sprang  in,  the 
door  was  closed,  and  the  lady,  to  whom 
he  told  his  story,  ordered  the  coachman 
to  drive  with  all  speed  to  the  Old  Bai- 
ley. It  was  the  last  day ;  the  case, 
which  had  been  postponed,  was  being 
tried ;  and  the  missing  witness  was  just 
in  time  to  place  the  rope  around  the 
neck  of  the  unhappy  forger. 


Smugglers'  Honor. 

On  the  line  between  Prussia  and  Rus- 
sia, smuggling  is  carried  on  by  desper- 
ate bands  of  men,  in  a,  most  desperately 
professional  manner.  These  bands  are 
also  addicted  to  robbery.  One  of  them, 
headed  by  a  man  named  Krotinus,  is 
very  notorious ;  it  has  plundered  the 
house  of  several  of  the  richer  Russian 
landowners  on  the  frontier,  returning 
across  the  line  into  Prussia  to  spend 
the  proceeds.  A  party  of  this  band 
once  passed  the  day  at  a  village  wine- 
house,  and  were  called  out  toward 
evening  by  a  man  who  proved  to  be 
the  captain  himself,  "  for  duty : "  he 
was  most  particular  in  inquiring  wheth- 
er his  men  had  behaved  respectfully 
and  paid  for  everything  1 


Characteristic  Smuergrline:  Ingreunity  of 
Parisians. 

Some  of  the  curious  expedients  re- 
sorted to  by  Parisian  smugglers  are 
given  in  the  following  account  by  a 


personal  witness : — I  saw,  through  one 
of  the, windows  in  the  mayor's  office,  in 
the  twelfth  arrondissement,  the  body  of 
a  negro  hanging  by  the  neck.  At  the 
first  glance,  and  even  at  the  second,  I 
took  it  for  a  human  being,  whom  dis- 
appointed love,  or  perhaps  an  impro- 
vised people's  tribunal,  had  disposed 
of  thus  suddenly  ;  but  I  soon  ascertain- 
ed that  the  ebony  gentleman  in  question 
was  only  a  large  doll  as  large  as  life. 
What  to  think  of  this,  I  did  not  know, 
so  I  asked  the  doorkeeper  the  meaning 
of  it. 

"  This  is  the  '  Contraband  Muse- 
um,' "  was  the  answer ;  and  on  my 
showing  a  curiosity  to  see  it,  he  was 
kind  enough  to  act  as  my  cicerone. 

In  a  large  dirty  room  are  scattered 
over  the  floor,  along  the  walls  and  on 
the  ceiling,  all  the  inventions  of  roguery 
which  had  been  confiscated  from  time 
to  time  by  these  guardians  of  the  law, 
the  revenue  officers ;  a  complete  arsenal 
of  the  devices  of  smuggling,  all  in  com- 
plete confusion. 

As  examples,  there  is  a  hogshead 
dressed  up  for  a  nurse,  with  a  child 
that  holds  two  and  one  half  quarts. 
On  the  other  side  are  logs,  hollow  as 
the  Trojan  horse,  and  filled  with  armies 
of  cigars.  On  the  fioor  lies  a  huge  boa 
constrictor,  gorged  with  China  silks; 
and  just  beyond  it  a  pile  of  coal  curi- 
ously perforated  with  spools  of  cotton. 

The  colored  gentleman  who  excited 
my  sympathy  at  first,  met  with  his  fate 
under  the  following  circumstances :  He 
was  built  of  tin,  painted  black,  and 
stood  like  a  heyduck,  or  Ethiopian 
chasseur,  on  the  footboard  of  a  car- 
riage, fastened  by  his  feet  and  hands. 
He  had  frequently  passed  through  the 
gates,  and  was  well  known  by  sight  to 
the  soldiers,  who  noticed  he  was  al- 
ways showing  his  teeth,  which  they 
supposed  to  be  the  custom  of  his  coun- 
try. 

One  day  the  carriage  he  belonged  to 
was  stopped  by  a  crowd  at  the  gate. 
There  was,  as  usual,  a  grand  chorus  of 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


227 


yells  and  oaths,  the  vocal  part  being 
performed  by  the  cartmen  and  drivers, 
and  the  instrumental  by  the  well-ap- 
plied whips.  The  negro,  however,  nev- 
er spoke  a  single  word.  His  good  be- 
havior, through  all  this  wild  and  un- 
heard-of misusage,  delighted  the  sol- 
diers, who  held  him  up  as  an  example 
to  the  crowd.  "Look  at  that  black 
fellow,"  they  cried,  "  see  how  well  he 
behaves !  Bravo,  nigger,  bravo ! "  He 
showed  a  perfect  indiflference  to  their 
friendly  applause.  "My  friend,"  said 
a  clerk  at  the  barrier,  jumping  up  on 
the  footboard,  and  slapping  our  sable 
friend  on  the  shoulder,  "we  are  very 
much  obliged  to  you."  What  surprise  ! 
the  shoulder  rattled.  The  officer  was  be- 
wildered ;  he  sounded  the  footman  all 
over,  and  found  he  was  made  of  metal, 
and  as  full  as  his  skin  could  hold  of 
the  very  best  contraband  liquor,  drawn 
out  of  his  foot.  The  juicy  mortal  was 
seized  at  once,  and  carried  off  in  tri- 
umph. The  first  night  the  revenue 
people  drank  up  one  of  his  shoulders, 
and  he  was  soon  bled  to  death.  It  is 
now  six  years  since  he  lost  all  the 
moisture  of  his  system,  and  was  reduced 
to  a  dry  skeleton. 


Terrible  Career  of  Sadleir,  the 
Speculator. 

The  name  of  John  Sadleir  is  still 
fresh  in  the  annals  of  criminal  specula- 
tion and  its  ofttimes  tragical  end.  He 
was  a  provincial  attorney  in  Ireland,  in 
very  moderate  business ;  but  being  a 
man  of  talent  and  firmness  of  character, 
he  was  instrumental  in  establishing  a 
bank  in  the  county,  and  became  a  per- 
son of  some  consequence.  He  at  length 
felt  his  field  to  be  too  small,  and  in  an 
evil  hour  went  to  London,  where  Ms 
connection  with  the  bank  introduced 
him  at  once  to  the  speculators  and  cap- 
italists of  that  city ;  and  this  led  to  a 
large  business  as  a  parliamentary  agent, 
and  to  his  becoming  chairman  of  a 
great  joint-stock  bank  in  London. 

The  road  of  ambition  was  now  fairly 


opened.  He  got  into  Parliament,  made 
himself  the  leader  in  the  Irish  Brigade, 
then  deserted  his  party,  and  became  a 
lord  of  the  treasury.  In  the  mean  time, 
he  was  very  busy  with  the  Encumbered 
Estates  Bill ;  and  having  procured  from 
the  commissioners  under  it  almost  un- 
limited authority,  he  organized  an  asso- 
ciation in  England  for  purchasing,  and 
afterward  selling  at  enormous  advan- 
tage, properties  sold  in  the  Encumbered 
Estates  Court.  He  now  became  chair- 
man of  the  Swedish  railway,  arranged 
a  new  insurance  company,  established 
a  newspaper  of  his  own  in  Dublin,  and 
plunged  deep  into  English,  Italian, 
Spanish,  and  American  railways. 

Such  is  a  very  brief  outline  of  Sad- 
leir's  great  business  career;  but  when 
and  where  the  pressure  first  began — 
when  this  originally  obscure  and  mon- 
eyless man  found  that  he  could  not 
pursue  such  schemes  without  funds — 
and  what  were  the  precise  circumstan- 
ces that  originated  his  crimes,  and  led 
him  on,  step  by  step,  to  infamy,  is  not 
precisely  known.  It  is  known,  how- 
ever, that  he  obtained  money  on  the 
security  of  forged  titles,  as,  from  the 
Encumbered  Estate  Court.  He  fabri- 
cated shares  of  the  Swedish  railway  to 
the  amount  of  over  a  million  dollars ; 
and  besides  the  assignments  of  numer- 
ous deeds  he  held  in  trust,  he  forged 
on  private  individuals  to  the  amount 
of  at  least  half  a  million  dollars. 

It  appears  that  for  some  time  he  must 
have  contemplated  his  violent  release 
from  the  fever  of  mind  in  which  he  had 
lived  so  long.  But  at  length  the  occa- 
sion came ;  the  forgery  of  one  of  the 
Encumbered  Estates  deeds  was  on  the 
eve  of  discovery;  and  the  wretched 
man  went  forth  from  his  own  house  in 
the  dead  of  night,  with  the  instruments 
of  death  in  his  pocket — a  midnight 
suicide ! 


Duplicity  of  French  Speculators. 
One  of  the  most  singular  illustrations 
of  the  methods  sometimes  resorted  to 


228 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


by  speculators  to  accomplish  their  ends, 
is  found  in  the  history  of  the  present 
ruler  of  the  French.  While  Louis 
Philippe  was  king,  a  number  of  specu- 
lators in  French  stocks  in  London,  de- 
sired, for  a  particular  purpose,  to  de- 
press said  stocks  for  a  few  days.  To 
this  end  they  hired  several  ships,  man- 
ned them,  and  gave  them  ammunition, 
bulletins,  &c.,  and  placed  Louis  Napo- 
leon in  secret  command,  in  order  to 
make  a  feint  of  invading  France — using 
him  as  the  unconcious  tool  for  execut- 
ing their  own  schemes. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  that  reckless 
youth  was  under  the  delusion  that  the 
prestige  of  his  name  was  suflBcient,  un- 
der the  unpopularity  of  the  then  reign- 
ing monarch,  to  cause  a  general  rising 
of  the  nation  in  his  own  favor.  It  was, 
however,  a  plan  gotten  up  lyy  some  cun- 
ning hrokers,  who  used  him  merely  as 
an  instrument,  knowing  his  susceptibil- 
ity to  self-delusion ;  but  they  accom- 
plished their  end,  and  cleared  large 
sums  by  their  adroitly  conceived  mode 
of  operating. 


Two  Playing*  at  the  Same  Game. 

Decio  was  an  extensive  London  mer- 
chant, who  had  large  commissions  for 
sugar  from  several  foreign  dealers.  On 
a  certain  occasion,  he  treated  about  a 
considerable  quantity  of  that  article 
with  Alcander,  an  eminent  merchant  in 
the  West  India  trade ;  both  understood 
the  market  very  well,  but  could  not 
agree.  Decio  was  a  man  of  substance, 
and  thought  nobody  ought  to  be  bet- 
•ter  able  to  buy  than  himself  on  favor- 
able terms.  Alcander  was  the  same, 
and,  not  wanting  money,  stood  for  his 
price. 

While  thus  engaged  in  attempts  to 
bargain,  at  a  tavern  near  the  Exchange, 
Alcander's  man  brought  his  master  a 
letter  from  the  West  Indies,  which  in- 
formed him  of  a  much  greater  quantity 
of  sugar  coming  for  England  than  was 
expected.     Alcander  now  wished  for 


nothing  more  than  to  sell  at  Decio's 
price,  before  the  news  was  public  ;  but, 
being  a  cunning  fox,  and  that  he  might 
not  seem  too  eager,  nor  yet  lose  his  cus- 
tomer, he  drops  the  discout-se  they  were 
upon,  and,  putting  on  a  jovial  humor, 
commends  the  agreeableness  of  the 
weather — from  whence,  descanting  up- 
on the  delight  he  took  in  his  gar- 
dens, he  invites  Decio  to  go  along 
with  him  to  his  country  seat,  about 
twelve  miles  out. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  May,  and  as 
it  happened  to  be  Saturday  afternoon, 
Decio,  who  was  a  single  man,  and 
would  have  no  pressing  business  in 
town  before  Tuesday,  accepted  of  the 
other's  civility,  and  away  they  go  in 
Alcander's  coach.  Decio  was  splen- 
didly entertained  that  night  and  the 
day  following.  On  Monday  morning, 
to  get  himself  an  appetite,  he  goes  to 
take  the  air  upon  an  easy-paced  horse 
of  Alcander's,  and  coming  back,  meets 
with  a  gentleman  of  his  acquaintance, 
who  tells  him  news  had  come,  the  night 
before,  that  the  Barbadoes  fleet  was  de- 
stroyed by  a  storm,  and  adds,  that  be- 
fore he  came  out,  the  news  had  been 
confirmed  at  Lloyd's  coffee  house,  where 
it  was  thought  sugars  would  rise  twen- 
ty-five per  cent,  by  'Change  time. 

Decio  returns  to  his  friend,  and  im- 
mediately resumes  the  conversation 
about  a  sugar  trade.  Alcander,  who, 
thinking  himself  sure  of  his  chap,  did 
not  design  to  broach  the  matter  until 
after  dinner,  was  very  glad  to  find  his 
intention  thus  anticipated;  but  how- 
ever desirous  he  was  to  sell,  the  other 
was  yet  more  anxious  to  buy.  Yet 
both  of  them,  afraid  of  one  another, 
for  a  considerable  time  affected  all  the 
indifference  imaginable,  till  at  last  De- 
cio, fired  with  what  he  had  heard, 
thought  delays  might  prove  dangerous, 
and  throwing  a  guinea  upon  the  table, 
struck  the  bargain  at  Alcander's  price. 
The  next  day  they  went  to  London; 
the  news  proved  true,  and  Decio  made 
his  "pile"  by  the  sugars.     Alcander, 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


229 


while  he  had  striven  to  overreach  the 
other,  was  foiled  in  his  mercantile  tac- 
tics, and  paid  in  his  own  coin. 


Mysteries  of  Tea  Smugrgrling'. 

Ok  account  of  the  high  tax  imposed 
upon  tea  by  the  Russian  Government, 
the  smuggling  of  that  article  is  carried 
on  as  briskly  as  the  wits  of  man  can 
devise  ways  and  means.  The  Govern- 
ment pays  in  cash  the  extraordinary 
premium  of  fifty  cents  per  pound  for  all 
that  is  seized,  a  reward  which  is  espe- 
cially attractive  to  the  officers  on  the 
frontier,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  there 
paid  down  without  any  discount.  For- 
merly, the  confiscated  tea  was  sold  at 
public  auction,  on  condition  that  the 
buyer  should  carry  it  over  the  frontier. 
Russian  officers  were  appointed  to  take 
charge  of  it,  and  deliver  it  in  some 
Prussian  frontier  town,  in  order  to  be 
sure  of  its  being  carried  out  of  the 
country.  The  consequence  was,  that 
the  tea  was  regularly  carried  back  into 
Poland  the  following  night,  most  fre- 
quently by  the  Russian  officers  them- 
selves. 

In  order  to  apply  a  radical  cure  to 
this  evil,  destruction  by  fire  was  de- 
creed as  the  fate  of  all  tea  that  should 
be  seized  thereafter.  Thus  it  is  that 
from  twenty  thousand  to  forty  thou- 
sand pounds  are  yearly  destroyed  in 
the  chief  city  of  the  province.  About 
this,  the  official  story  is,  that  it  is  tea 
smuggled  from  Prussia,  while  the  truth 
is,  that  it  is  usually  nothing  but  brown 
paper  or  damaged  tea  that  is  consumed 
by  the  fire.  In  the  first  place,  the  Rus- 
sian officials  are  too  rational  to  bum  up 
good  tea,  when  by  chance  a  real  confis- 
cation of  that  article  has  taken  place ; 
— in  such  a  case,  the  gentlemen  take 
the  tea,  and  put  upon  the  burning  pile 
an  equal  weight  of  irown  paper,  or  rags, 
done  up  to  resemble  genuine  packages 
of  the  "  celestial  leaf."  In  the  second 
place,  it  is  mostly  damaged  or  useless 
tea  that  is  seized. 


The  premium  for  seizures  being  so 
high,  the  custom-house  officers  them- 
selves cause  Polish  Jews — regular  com- 
mercial rats— to  buy  up  quantities  of 
worthless  stuff  and  bring  it  over  the 
lines  for  the  express  purpose  of  being 
seized  !  The  time  and  place  for  smug- 
gling it  are  agreed  upon.  The  officer 
lies  in  wait  vpith  a  third  person  whom 
he  takes  with  him.  The  Jew  comes 
with  the  goods,  is  hailed  by  the  officer, 
and  takes  to  flight.  The  officer  pursues 
the  fugitive,  but  cannot  reach  him ! 
and  fires  his  musket  after  him.  Here- 
upon the  Jew  drops  his  package,  which 
the  officer  takes  and  carries  to  the  office, 
where  he  gets  his  reward.  The  witness 
whom  he  has  with  him — by  accident, 
of  course — testifies  to  the  zeal  of  his 
exertions,  fruitless  though  they  were, 
for  the  seizure  of  the  "unknown" 
smuggler.  The  latter  afterward  re- 
ceives from  the  officer  the  stipulated 
portion  of  the  reward.  This  arch  trick 
is  constantly  practised  along  the  fron- 
tier, and,  to  meet  the  demand,  the 
Prussian  dealers  patriotically  keep 
stocks  of  good-for-nothing  tea,  which 
they  sell  generally  at  the  rate  of  twelve 
and  a  half  cents  per  pound. 


Spanish  Contraband  Trade. 

Although  the  Spaniards  have  a  dis- 
like— so  the  idea  prevails — to  foreign- 
ers and  foreign  productions,  yet  the 
latter  necessarily  find  their  way  into 
Spain,  because  she  has  no  productions 
of  her  own,  and  must  have  them.  But 
they  hate  custom  houses  and  custom- 
house officers  as  much  as  they  do  for- 
eigners, and  they  also  prefer  a  smug- 
gled article,  even  if  it  is  a  foreign  pro- 
duction ;  hence  it  is  that  there  is  no 
scene  in  Spanish  life  without  a  smug- 
gler—at least,  so  say  the  English.  The 
peasant  smuggles  through  necessity, 
the  rich  man  through  avarice,  or  the 
pleasure  of  cheating  the  revenue.  Even 
the  queen,  it  is  told,  robs  her  own  ex- 
chequer, by  wearing  contraband  finery. 


230 


COMMERCIAL   AND   BUSINESS   ANECDOTES. 


The  whole  southern  coast,  from  Barce- 
lona to  Cadiz,  is  said  to  be  perpetually 
transformed,  at  night,  into  a  strand  for 
the  loading  of  contraband  goods.  It  is 
estimated  that  there  are  not  less  than 
four  hundred  thousand  smugglers  hov- 
ering continually  about  the  mountains 
near  the  seacoast,  who  descend  at 
night  to  hold  communion  with  pro- 
scribed foreign  smugglers,  and  receive 
from  them  the  materials  for  rendering 
millions  of  the  Spanish  population  com- 
fortable, free  of  duty. 


Prayers  Requested  for  a  New  Business 
Undertaking-. 

The  ministers  of  the  English  Govern- 
ment made  great  use  of  lotteries  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  as  an  engine  to 
draw  money  from  the  pockets  of  the 
people,  and  at  a  price  alike  disgraceful 
to  the  Government  and  demoralizing  to 
all.  The  extent  to  which  this  evil  had 
reached  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  money  was  lent  on  these  as  on  any 
other  marketable  securities ;  that  in 
1751,  upward  of  thirty  thousand  tick- 
ets were  pawned  to  the  metropolitan 
bankers ;  and  this  when,  to  have  an 
even  chance  for  any  prize,  a  purchaser 
must  have  held  seven  tickets — and  it 
was  ninety-nine  to  one  that  even  if  a 
prize  were  drawn,  it  did  not  exceed 
£50.  Suicide,  through  lotteries,  be- 
came common.  All  arts  were  resorted 
to.  Lucky  numbers  were  foretold  by 
cunning  women,  who,  when  their  art 
failed,  shrouded  themselves  in  their 
mysticism,  or,  if  fortune  chanced  to  fa- 
vor them,  paraded  their  prophecies  to 
the  public.  Insurance  of  prizes — an 
art  upon  which  hundreds  grew  rich, 
and  thousands  grew  poor — was  com- 
menced with  terrible  success.  Those 
who  were  unable  to  buy  tickets,  paid  a 
certain  sum  to  receive  a  certain  amount, 
if  a  particular  number  came  up  a  prize. 
The  many  iniquities,  the  household  des- 
olation, the  public  fraud,  and  the  pri- 
vate mischief  which  resulted  from  this 
system,  are  beyond  the  power  of  recital. 


Wives  committed  domestic  treachery ; 
sons  and  daughters  ran  through  their 
portions ;  merchants  risked  the  gains 
of  honorable  trade.  "  My  whole 
house,"  wrote  one,  "  was  infected  with 
the  mania,  from  the  head  of  it  down 
to  my  kitchen  maid  and  postboy,  who 
have  both  pawned  some  of  their  rags, 
that  they  might  put  themselves  in  for- 
tune's way."  The  passions  and  preju- 
dices of  the  sex  were  appealed  to.'  Lov- 
ers were  to  strew  their  paths  with  roses ; 
husbands  were  plentifully  promised, 
and  beautiful  children  were  to  adorn 
their  homes,  through  this  kind  of  deal- 
ing. The  melancholy  history  was  oc- 
casionally enlivened  by  episodes,  which 
sometimes  arose  from  the  humor,  and 
sometimes  from  the  sufferings  of  the 
populace.  Religion  itself  was  ingeni- 
ously used  as  a  scapegoat  in  these  trans- 
actions. Thus,  it  is  recorded  as  a  fact, 
that  to  promote  the  aid  of  the  blind 
deity,  a  woman  to  whom  a  ticket  had 
been  presented,  caused  a  petition  to 
be  put  up  in  a  church,  in  the  following 
words : 

"  The  prayers  of  the  congregation  are 
desired  for  the  success  of  a  person  engaged 
in  a  new  hisiness  undertaking.''^ 


"He's  a  Country  Merchant— Stick 
Him." 

In  a  certain  city,  Mr,  A.  established 
himself  in  business.  Among  the  fre- 
quent visitors  at  his  store  was  Mr.  B., 
whose  oflSciousness  was  never  agree- 
able to  the  proprietor,  and  on  one  oc- 
casion at  least  his  advice  was  both  in- 
sulting and  disastrous.  It  happened 
in  this  wise :  A  gentleman  came  into 
the  store  and  inquired  for  sundry  arti- 
cles as  to  prices,  «fec.  In  the  midst  of 
the  interview,  Mr.  B.  asked  Mr.  A.  to 
the  door,  and,  taking  him  by  the  but- 
ton, whispered  confidentially,  regard- 
ing the  inquirer,  "  He's  a  country  mer- 
chant—stick him  !  "  Mr.  A.  turned 
away  in  disgust,  and  resumed  his  con- 
versation with  the  new  comer.  But 
the  whispered  counsel  had  reached  the 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


281 


ear  of  the  latter,  and  he  left  the  prem- 
ises without  purchasing  a  single  article. 


Spaniard  and  Chinaman  at  a  Trade. 

Here  is  an  old  "  trick  at  trade,"  and 
it  still  puzzles  some  people  to  get  the 
right  of  it, 

A  Spaniard  called  at  the  store  of 
a  Chinese  merchant  shoemaker  and 
bought  "a  pair  of  boots  at  the  price  of 
ten  dollars,  and  handed  Jinnqua,  the 
seller  of  the  boots,  an  ounce,  valued  at 
seventeen  dollars.  As  Jinnqua  had  no 
change,  he  stepped  over  the  way  to  the 
Palo  Gordo  and  got  it  changed;  re- 
turned, and  gave  the  boots  and  seven 
dollars  to  the  Spaniard,  who  took  them 
and  his  departure.  Shortly  after  this, 
the  proprietor  of  Palo  Gordo  called  on 
the  shoemaker  with  the  ounce,  which 
proved  to  be  a  bad  one,  and  the  shoe- 
maker was  obliged  to  pay  him  seven- 
teen good  dollars  for  the  good-for- 
nothing  metal.  Now  the  question  is, 
how  much  and  what  did  the  shoe- 
maker lose  by  the  operation  ?  Some 
say  he  lost  twenty-four  dollars,  and 
others  twenty-seven  dollars ;  but  it  is 
very  plain  that  he  lost  just  seven  dol- 
lars and  a  pair  of  new  boots.  Whether 
they  were  worth  ten  dollars  or  not,  is 
another  question — one  for  China-tail 
and  his  customer  to  decide. 


Ba3rins  Wine  by  Sample. 

The  penetration  and  management 
of  one  of  our  old  commodores  in  a 
Spanish  port,  some  years  ago,  proved 
too  much  for  the  skill  of  a  certain  wine 
merchant,  as  the  following  will  show. 

He  bought  a  cask  of  vsdne — he  liked 
the  flavor  of  it — in  one  of  those  enor- 
mous cellars,  where  the  Spanish  mer- 
chants store  their  immense  stock,  and 
where  they,  if  the  truth  must  be  reveal- 
ed, also  mix,  brew,  and  manufacture 
them. 

"To  what  place  shall  I  send  the 
pipe  ?  "  inquired  the  merchant. 


"  Nowhere,"  said  the  blunt  sailor,  "  I 
will  take  it  with  me ; "  and  then  ap- 
peared a  competent  number  of  sailors 
with  a  vehicle  all  ready  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

The  merchant  hesitated,  demurred, 
and  objected  to  delivering  it  for  one 
reason  or  other,  and  finally  oflFered  a 
handsome  sum  if  he  would  take  an- 
other cask  next  to  it,  just  as  good,  in 
its  room,  as  this  particular  one  had 
been  disposed  of.  This  made  the  com- 
modore still  more  earnest  and  resolved ; 
so  he  insisted  on  paying  the  Spanish 
trader  his  bill,  and  took  away  his  prize 
without  asking  "  by  your  leave." 

It  was  worth  double  the  sum  he 
gave  for  it,  as  it  was  a  sample  cask  of 
the  pure  article,  which  he  and  all  who 
went  to  that  cellar  to  purchase  were  to 
taste,  as  a  criterion  of  the  whole.  When 
the  article  was  sold  and  delivered,  after 
the  bargain,  another  was  always  put  in 
its  place.  This  time,  however,  the  un- 
lucky merchant  was  deprived  of  his 
decoy  till  he  could  prepare  a  new  one, 
at  considerable  cost.  It  was  a  poor 
bargain  that  he  made  with  the  Ameri- 
can commodore,  who  used  to  tell  his 
friends  at  Washington,  when  he  treat- 
ed them  to  it,  that  it  was  the  best  bat- 
tle he  ever  fought,  and  he  had  seen 
sharp  service  in  1813. 


Smuggling:  on  the  liace-Merchant's 
Dog-. 

Who  would  have  imagined  that  a 
dog  had  been  made  serviceable  as  a 
clerk,  and  thus  rolled  up  for  his  master 
upward  of  a  hundred  thousand  crowns  ? 
And  yet  a  "  big  thing  "  like  this  hap- 
pened some  years  ago. 

One  of  those  industrious  beings  who 
know  how  to  make  a  chaldron  of  coals 
out  of  a  billet  of  wood,  determined,  in 
extreme  poverty,  to  engage  in  trade. 
He  preferred  that  of  merchandize 
which  occupied  the  least  space,  and 
was  calculated  to  yield  the  greatest 
profit.  He  borrowed  a  small  sum  of 
money  from  a  Mend,  and  repairing  to 


232 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Flanders,  he  there  bought  a  piece  of 
lace,  which,  without  any  danger,  he 
smuggled  into  France  in  the  following 
manner : 

He  trained  an  active  spaniel  to  his 
purpose.  He  caused  him  first  to  be 
shaved,  and  procured  for  him  the  skin 
of  another  dog,  of  the  same  hair  and 
the  same  shape.  He  then  rolled  the 
lace  around  the  body  of  the  dog,  and 
put  over  this  the  garment  of  the  other 
animal  so  adroitly  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  discover  the  trick.  The  lace 
being  thus  arranged  in  his  canine  band- 
box, he  would  say  to  his  obedient  mes- 
senger, "Forward,  my  friend!"  At 
these  words,  the  dog  would  start,  and 
pass  boldly  through  the  gates  of  Ma- 
lines  or  Valenciennes,  in  the  very  face 
of  the  vigilant  oflficers  placed  there  to 
prevent  smuggling.  Having  passed  the 
bounds,  he  would  wait  for  his  master 
at  a  little  distance  in  the  open  country. 
Then  they  mutually  caressed  and  feast- 
ed, and  the  merchant  deposited  his 
parcels  in  places  of  security,  renewing 
his  ventures  as  necessity  required. 

Such  was  the  success  of  the  smug- 
gler, that  in  five  or  six  years  he  amassed 
a  handsome  fortune,  and  kept  his 
coach.  But — envy  pursues  the  pros- 
perous; a  mischievous  neighbor  be- 
trayed the  lace  merchant,  and,  not- 
withstanding the  efforts  of  the  latter 
to  disguise  his  dog,  he  was  tracked, 
watched,  and  detected.  The  game  was 
up. 

How  far  does  the  cunning  of  such  an 
animal  extend !  Did  the  spies  of  the 
custom  house  expect  him  at  one  gate, 
he  saw  them  at  a  distance,  and  instant- 
ly went  toward  the  other.  Were  the 
gates  shut  against  him,  he  overcame 
every  obstacle — sometimes  he  leaped 
over  the  wall,  at  others  passed  secretly 
behind  a  carriage,  or,  running  slyly  be- 
tween the  legs  of  travellers,  he  would 
thus  accomplish  his  aim.  One  day, 
however,  while  swimming  a  stream 
near  Malines,  he  was  shot,  and  died  in 
the  water.    There  was  then  about  him 


five  thousand  crowns'  worth  of  lace — 
the  loss  of  which  did  not  afllict  the 
master,  but  he  was  inconsolable  for  the 
loss  of  his  faithful  "  clerk." 


Higrh-heeled  Boots  with.  Watches  in 
them. 

In  the  days  when  high-heeled  French 
boots  were  the  pride  of  fashion,  there 
was  a  shoemaker  in  London,  who  made 
a  fortune  by  the  sale  of  the  best  Paris 
boots  at  a  price  which  all  his  fellow 
tradesmen  declared  ruinous.  He  un- 
derstood the  trade,  and  obtained  troops 
of  customers.  "  These  boots  must  be 
stolen,"  said  his  rivals,  but  there  was 
no  evidence  that  they  were ;  certainly 
they  were  not  smuggled  boots — for  any 
one  could  satisfy  himself  that  the  full 
duty  was  paid  upon  them  at  the  cus- 
tom house.  The  shoemaker  retired  from 
business  with  a  fortune.  Afterward 
his  secret  was  accidentally  discovered 
— although  he  had  paid  for  the  boots, 
he  had  not  paid  for  everything  that 
was  in  them.  There  was  a  heavy  duty 
payable  on  foreign  watches ;  and  every 
boot  consigned  to  him  from  Paris  had 
contained  in  its  high  heel  a  cavity  ex- 
actly large  enough  to  hold  a  watch. 
The  great  profit  obtained  by  the  trade 
in  smuggled  watches  made  it  possible 
for  this  tradesman,  when  he  had  filled 
up  their  heels,  to  sell  his  boots  under 
prime  cost.  This  was  worth  while 
again,  because,  of  course,  by  the  exten- 
sion of  his  boot  trade,  he  increased  his 
power  of  importing  watches  duty  free. 


Philanthropy  and  Forty  Per  Cent. 

Under  the  name  of  the  Equitable 
Loan  Company,  there  was  many  years 
ago  started,  in  England,  a  mining 
scheme  for  taking  money  out  of  the 
pockets  of  the  many,  and  putting  it  in 
the  pockets  of  the  few.  In  paragraphs, 
calculated  to  excite  the  sympathy  of 
the  public,  the  directors  piously  de- 
nounced the  profits  of  the  pawnbroker, 
arraigned  his  evil  practices,  and  deli' 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


233 


cately  concluded  by  hinting  that  a  com- 
pany formed  upon  the  most  philanthro- 
pic principles,  and  paying  forty  per  cent., 
would  soon  be  formed,  and  thus  the  pub- 
lic be  saved  from  any  further  imposition. 
The  philanthropy  element  in  the  scheme 
might  have  been  proclaimed  unavailing- 
ly  for  centuries,  but  forty  per  cent,  was 
irresistible.  The  Duke  of  York  good-na- 
turedly lent  his  name ;  members  of  Par- 
liament were  bribed  with  shares ;  and 
when  it  was  honestly  said  by  one  that 
"  the  bill  would  never  pass  the  House," 
the  ready  reply  of  the  philanthropic 
schemers  was,  "  Oh !  we  have  so  many  on 
the  ministerial,  and  so  many  on  the  op- 
position side,  and  we  are  of  course  sure 
of  the  saints  !  "  The  shares,  however, 
tumbled  down  to  a  discount ;  both  op- 
position and  ministerial  members  gave 
the  nefarious  scheme  the  go-by,  and  the 
philanthropy  of  the  saints  faded  with 
the  fading  vision  of  "  forty  per  cent." 

Pate  of  a  Clerical  Dealer  in  "  Fancies." 

Some  time  since  an  account  appeared 
in  the  London  journals  of  a  practical 
joke — which,  however,  for  one  of  the 
parties  concerned,  was  no  joke  at  all — 
having  been  played  off  upon  a  parson 
on  the  Stock  Exchange.  It  appears 
that  the  said  reverend  gentleman  in 
holy  orders  had  been  giving  a  series  of 
most  unholy  orders  to  a  variety  of 
stockbrokers,  who  had  thus  been  "  let 
in  "  to  a  serious  amount  by  said  specu- 
lating clergyman.  Having  been  per- 
suaded to  visit  the  "  sanctum  "  of  the 
stock  exchange,  the  parson  was  forth- 
with surroundad,  and  an  unceremoni- 
ous punishment  was  improvised,  with- 
out the  slightest  "  benefit  of  clergy  " 
being  allowed  to  him.  His  coat  was 
covered  with  flour  thrown  from  bags, 
without  the  remotest  respect  for  his 
cloth,  and  he  was  showered  with  eggs, 
of  which  there  was  an  ample  supply  in 
readiness  to  make — as  was  remarked 
by  an  unhappy  punster  on  the  spot — a 
terrible  eggsample  of  the  defaulting 


dominie.  The  reverend  financier's  white 
choker  was  so  besmeared  with  the  bat- 
ter thus  hurriedly  compounded,  that  he 
was  obliged  to  rush  from  the  stock  ex- 
change to  exchange  his  stock  at  the 
nearest  hosier's.  The  affair,  happening 
as  it  did  on  or  about  "  Shrove  Tues- 
day," caused  some  who  saw  the  parson 
covered  with  eggs  and  flour  to  suppose 
— naturally  enough — that,  while  on 
some  parochial  call,  he  had  unfortu- 
nately fallen  into  a  mass  of  batter  pre- 
pared for  the  manufacture  of  pancakes. 


French  Nicety  in  Trade  Frauds. 

All  is  false  in  wines ;  the  color,  the 
strength,  the  flavor,  the  age,  even  the 
name  under  which  they  are  sold. 
There  are  wines  which  do  not  contain 
a  drop  of  grape  juice.  Even  science  is 
impotent,  in  many  cases,  to  distinguish 
the  true  from  the  false,  so  complete  is 
the  imitation,  but  it  nevertheless  great- 
ly aids  in  the  detection.  This  was  de- 
veloped in  a  memorable  case  which 
came  before  the  French  courts.  The 
chemist,  after  reporting  all  the  ingre- 
dients of  which  the  wine  was  com- 
posed, observed  that  if  one  of  them 
were  in  less  quantity,  he  would  have 
been  unable  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
natural  wine.  The  prosecuted  wine 
merchant,  who  was  present,  listened 
attentively  to  the  chemist's  report,  and 
at  last  asked  him  which  ingredient  it 
was.  The  chemist  very  unguardedly 
told  him,  and  the  accused  immediately 
answered,  "  I  am  very  much  obliged, 
sir,  and  I  don't  regret  now  my  forty 
hogsheads  of  wine  which  will  be  de- 
stroyed, because  now  I  am  certain  of 
my  business." 

Disposing  of  an  Old  Stock. 

One  Mr.  P.  G.,  a  gentleman  well 
known  to  many  citizens  of  New  Hamp- 
shire as  a  successful  merchant  of  C, 
owed  much  of  his  good  fortune  to  his 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  of  which 


234 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


he  always  endeavored  to  take  advan- 
tage. At  one  time,  he  opened,  with 
another  person,  a  "  branch  store  "  in  a 
town  in  the  north  part  of  the  State,  and 
which  they  mostly  filled  with  the  un- 
salable goods  from  their  principal  store 
in  C,  These  goods  were  "  as  good  as 
new  "  among  the  rustics,  and  sold  quite 
as  well,  with  the  exception  of  a  large 
lot  of  that  unique  article  of  gentlemen's 
wear  denominated  hogskin  caps. 

G,  generally  kept  himself  at  his 
house  in  C,  though  often  visiting  his 
country  store,  staying  sometimes  a  week 
or  more,  and  attending  the  country 
church — as  a  matter  of  course  being 
looked  at  with  astonishment  by  the  go- 
to-meeting  young  men  of  the  town.  In- 
deed, he  was  honored  by  their  imita- 
tion in  almost  all  their  acts,  dress,  &c. 
What  Mr.  G.  wore  to  church  of  a  Sun- 
day, gentleman  as  he  was,  was  the  pre- 
vailing fashion  there  until  he  intro- 
duced a  new  style  at  some  subsequent 
visit. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  G.  asked 
his  partner  about  the  business  prospects 
and  other  matters  in  which  he  was  in- 
terested, and  received  the  reply  that 
things  went  pretty  quick  at  good 
prices. 

"  Keep  those  old  caps  yet.  I  didn't 
make  a  great  bargain  in  buying  them," 
said  G.,  espying  a  large  box  filled  with 
said  caps.  "  Can't  you  get  rid  of  them 
at  any  price  ? " 

"  Haven't  sold  one  yet ;  people  don't 
like  them,  and  I  have  had  a  great  no- 
tion of  throwing  them  out  of  the  back 
window,  and  getting  rid  of  the  trouble 
of  them.  They  won't  go  here,  I  think." 

G.  looked  at  them  a  moment,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  I  have  it  I  You  have  kept 
them  out  of  sight,  I  see  !  Next  Mon- 
day, you  get  them  out  and  brush  them 
up,  and  I'll  send  you  a  score  of  custom- 
ers before  the  week  is  out." 

The  following  Sunday,  G.  appeared 
in  church  with  one  of  these  identical 
caps  tipped  gracefully  on  one  side  of 
his  head,  and  a  splendid  gold  watch- 


chain  dangling  from  his  vest  pocket. 
He  was,  as  usual,  the  observed  of  all 
observers;  and  it  is  needless  to  say 
that,  a  fortnight  after,  when  in  his  own 
store  in  C,  he  received  an  order  for  two 
dozen  more  of  his  "  imperial  "  caps. 


Bargraining:  for  a  Jar. 

PAssma  by  the  shop  of  a  dealer  in 
curiosities  at  Paris,  a  NeajDolitan  prince 
observed  a  superb  Japan  jar,  five  and 
one  half  feet  high,  and  very  large.  He 
commenced  bargaining  for  it,  but  the 
tradesman  insisted  on  having  four 
thousand  francs  for  the  article,  while 
the  prince  was  only  willing  to  give 
three  thousand  francs ;  "  but,"  said  he, 
"  if  you  had  the  fellow  to  it,  its  value 
would  be  infinitely  greater  to  me." 
"No  doubt,  Excellenza;  the  value  of 
the  pair  would  be  fifteen  thousand 
francs." 

A  few  days  elapsed,  and  the  Neapol- 
itan received  a  summons  to  return  to 
his  own  country,  and  he  went  once 
more  to  try  to  obtain  the  jar.  "  I  again 
offer  three  thousand  francs,"  said  he.  "  I 
will  not  take  less  than  four  thousand," 
said  the  tradesman.  *'  I  leave  to-mor- 
row." "  No  matter ;  I  will  keep  my 
jar." 

The  next  day,  as  the  prince  was  su- 
perintending the  packing  up  of  his 
effects,  a  waiter  of  the  hotel  said, 
"  Your  excellency  would  no  doubt  be 
glad  to  find  the  fellow  of  the  Japan 
jar  ?  Well,  there  is  one  in  the  faubourg 
St.  Germain."  "  Is  it  possible  ?  "  "  It 
is  quite  certain."  "Beppo,  my  car- 
riage 1 "  Arrived  in  the  faubourg,  the 
prince  saw  that  the  jar  was  precisely 
the  same  as  the  one  he  had  bargained 
for.  "  Where  did  you  get  it  ?  "  he  asked 
the  tradesman  who  showed  it.  "At 
the  sale  of  the  Duchess  de  Montebello. 
There  was  a  pair  of  them,  but  I  was 
outbid  for  the  other."  "  Ah,  yes,  I  un- 
derstand. And  what  do  you  ask  ? " 
"Four  thousand  francs."  "He  does 
not  know,"  thought  the  Neapolitan, 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


235 


"  that  the  other  jar  is  oflFered  for  sale  in 
another  part  of  Paris  !  If  I  give  him 
four  thousand  for  this,  I  can  buy  the 
other  at  the  same  price,  and  so  have 
for  eight  thousand  francs  what  is  worth 
fifteen  thousand." 

He  bought  the  jar  at  once,  paid  for 
it,  and  had  it  conveyed  to  his  hotel. 
He  then  went  to  the  other  tradesman 
and  asked  for  the  jar.  He  was  told 
that  the  tradesman  was  out,  and  that 
the  jar  had  been  taken  away.  He  re- 
turned the  next  day,  but  could  not  see 
the  dealer ;  but  he  learned  subsequent- 
ly that  the  jar  which  he  had  purchased 
for  four  thousand  francs  was  the  very 
one  he  had  offered  three  thousand  for, 
and  that  the  waiter  at  the  hotel  had  re- 
ceived ten  francs  to  inform  the  prince 
of  the  existence  of  the  jar  in  the  fau- 
bourg St.  Germain — a  cool  thousand 
being,  by  this  trick,  put  into  the  pock- 
et of  the  tradesman. 


Tliree  Millionnaires  Quarrelling:  about 
One  Parthiner* 
Elwes,  the  millionnaire  banker  and 
miser,  notwithstanding  his  dislike  of 
society,  was  a  member  of  a  club  which 
occasionally  met  at  his  own  village, 
and  to  which  also  belonged  two  other 
wealthy  and  miserly  baronets,  besides 
himself,  viz..  Sir  Cordwell  Firebras  and 
Sir  John  Bamardiston.  With  these 
three,  though  all  so  rich,  the  reckoning 
was  always  a  subject  of  minute  investi- 
gation before  they  separated.  One  day, 
when  they  were  at  loggerheads  in  set- 
tling some  trifling  item,  a  wag,  who 
was  likewise  a  member  of  the  club, 
called  out  to  a  friend  that  was  passing, 
"  For  heaven's  sake,  step  up  stairs,  and 
assist  the  poor !  Here  are  three  mil- 
lionnaire baronets  chafing  and  quarrel- 
ling about  one  farthing  !  " 


Price  of  Hxtortion  and  Bevenge. 

In  one  of  our  cities  there  occurred, 
some  years  ago,  the  following  illustra- 
tion of  what  sometimes  comes  from  ex- 


tortion. Mr.  A.,  a  wealthy  merchant, 
built  a  very  expensive  warehouse  on 
his  lot,  and  after  it  was  completed,  B., 
his  next  neighbor,  discovered  that  it 
was  a  couple  or  three  inches  on  his  lot. 
A  surveyor  was  sent  for,  and  A.  dis- 
covered his  mistake,  and  freely  offered 
B:  a  large  sum  if  he  would  permit  it 
to  remain.  B.  knew  that  he  had  his 
wealthy  neighbor  in  his  powet,  there- 
fore he  seemed  unwilling  to  sell  the 
narrow  gore  for  twenty  times  the  value 
of  the  land.  He  only  waited  for  a  la/rger 
mm  to  be  offered,  believing  that  before 
A.  would  pull  down  his  warehouse,  he 
would  pay  half  its  value.  But  A.,  find- 
ing that  B.  was  determined  to  be  satis- 
fied with  nothing  but  extortion,  began 
to  pull  down  his  noble  building.  Then 
A.  might  have  settled  on  his  own  terms, 
but  he  had  no  offer  to  make.  The  last 
foundation  stone  was  removed. 

But  in  order  to  revenge  himself,  A. 
ordered  his  builder  to  run  up  the  new 
edifice  a  couple  of  inches  within  his  own 
line,  and  it  was  done :  and  the  noble 
building  was  again  completed.  A 
short  time  afterward,  B.  commenced 
the  erection  of  hia  splendid  warehouse, 
directly  against  his  neighbor's,  and,  of 
course,  two  inches  over  on  the  lot  of 

A.  The  trap  laid  had  succeeded  as 
was  expected ;  and  after  B.'s  building 
was  completed,  and  his  friends  were 
congratulating  him  on  his  splendid 
warehouse,  A.   steps  up   and  informs 

B.  that  his  structure  encroaches  on 
his  land  I  B.  laughs  at  the  thought, 
for  amid  the  rubbish  and  deep  founda- 
tions, a  couple  of  inches  cannot  be 
detected  by  the  naked  eye.  A  sur- 
veyor was  sent  for,  and  conceive  the 
blank  astonishment  that  filled  the  mind 
of  B.,  when  he  found  himself  at  the 
mercy  of  one  whom  he  had  so  deeply 
wronged.  This  was  the  moment  for  A. 
to  show  to  the  sordid  B.  what  a  mag- 
nanimous heart  could  do.  But,  no  !  A. 
was  determined  upon  revenge,  and  that 
neighbor  can  name  no  sum  at  which 
he  would  even  look.    He  offered  him 


236 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


half  the  cost  of  his  magnificent  ware- 
house, if  he  would  suffer  him  to  let  it 
stand.  No,  he  must  pull  it  down  ;  and 
down  it  came  to  the  very  foundations. 
Such  cases  are  rare  indeed  among  mer- 
chants. 


Enowine:  his  Customer. 

WheJt  George  the  Second  was  re- 
turning from  his  German  dominions, 
in  his  way  between  the  Brill  and  Hel- 
voetsluis,  he  was  obliged  to  stay  at  an 
obscure  public  house  on  ■  the  road, 
while  some  of  his  servants  went  for- 
ward to  obtain  another  carriage,  that 
in  which  he  had  travelled  having  bro- 
ken down.  The  king  ordered  refresh- 
ment, but  all  he  could  get  was  a  pot 
of  coffee  for  himself  and  Lord  Delawar, 
and  four  bottles  of  gin  made  into  punch, 
for  his  footmen ;  however,  when  the 
bill  was  called  for,  the  conscientious 
Dutchman,  knowing  his  customer,  pre- 
sented it  as  follows : 

"  To  refreshments  for  his  Sacred 
Majesty,  King  George  the  Second,  and 
his  household,  £9." 

Lord  Delawar  was  so  provoked  at 
this  imposition,  that  the  king  overheard 
his  altercation  with  the  landlord,  and 
demanded  the  cause  of  it.  His  lord- 
ship immediately  told  him;  when  his 
majesty  good-humoredly  replied  :  "  My 
lord,  the  fellow  is  a  great  knave,  but 
pay  him.  Kings  seldom  pass  this 
way." 

A  similar  anecdote  is  related  of  an- 
other monarch,  who,  passing  through  a 
town  in  Holland,  was  charged  at  the  rate 
of  thirty  dollars  for  two  eggs.  On  tliis, 
he  said,  "  that  eggs  were  surely  scarce 
in  that  town."  "  No,  your  majesty," 
replied  the  landlord,  "  but  kings  are." 


"  Old  Gkiy  »  Putting:  Out  the  LiRht ;  or, 
llillioimaire  Slisers  Rating:  each 
other's  Frugrality. 

Guy,  the  broker  and  miser,  was  one 
evening  seated  in  his  little  back  room, 


meditating  over  a  handful  of  half-light- 
ed embers,  confined  within  the  narrow 
precincts  of  a  brick  stove  ;  a  farthing 
candle  was  on  the  table  at  his  side,  but 
it  was  not  lit,  and  the  fire  afforded  no 
light  to  dissipate  the  gloom.  He  sat 
there  alone,  planning  some  new  spec- 
ulation— congratulating  himself  on  sav- 
ing a  pennyworth  of  fuel,  or  else  per- 
chance cogitating  as  to  how  he  could 
bestow  some  thousand  guineas  in 
charity. 

His  thoughts,  whether  on  subjects 
small  or  great,  were  interrupted  by  the 
announcement  of  a  visitor — a  shabby, 
meagre,  miserable-looking  man ;  but 
compliments  were  exchanged  and  the 
guest  was  invited  to  take  a  seat.  Guy 
immediately  lighted  his  farthing  can- 
dle and  desired  to  know  the  object 
of  the  gentleman's  call.  The  visitor 
was  no  other  than  the  celebrated  Hop- 
kins, whose  fortune  was  about  a  million 
and  a  half,  and  who,  on  account  of  his 
avarice  and  rapacity,  was  known  as 
Vulture  Hopkins. 

"  I  have  been  told,"  said  Hopkins, 
as  he  entered  the  presence  of  Guy, 
"that  you  are  better  versed  in  the 
prudent  and  necessary  art  of  saving, 
than  any  man  now  living.  I  now  wait 
upon  you  simply  for  a  lesson  in  fru- 
gality, an  art  in  which  I  used  to  think 
I  excelled,  but  I  am  told  by  all  who 
know  you  that  you  are  greatly  my 
superior." 

"  If  that  is  all  you  are  come  about," 
said  Guy,  "  why  then  we  can  talk  the 
matter  over  in  the  dark;"  so  saying, 
he  with  great  deliberation  put  the  ex- 
tinguisher on  his  newly  lighted  far- 
thing candle.  Struck  with  this  most 
ready  instance  of  practical  economy, 
Hopkins — having  no  need  of  any  mere 
verlal  lessons — at  once  acknowledged 
the  superior  ability  of  his  host,  and 
thoughtfully  took  his  leave,  imbued 
with  profound  respect  for  such  an 
adept  in  the  art  of  saving. 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


237 


Discounting  a  Legraoy. 

Taylok,  at  one  time  one  of  the  most 
eminent  stock  jobbers  in  London,  and 
who  died  worth  half  a  million  dollars 
in  cash,  was  so  penurious  that  he  scarce- 
ly allowed  himself  the  common  necessa- 
ries of  this  life  ;  and  this  spirit  he  car- 
ried out  as  well  in  his  financial  and 
business  dealings.  A  few  days  before 
his  decease,  the  officers  of  the  parish 
in  which  he  resided,  waited  upon  him 
at  his  request ;  they  found  the  old  man 
on  a  wretched  bed  in  a  garret,  making 
his  dinner  on  a  thin  slice  of  bacon  and 
a  potato,  of  which  he  asked  them  to 
partake.  One  of  them  accepted  the 
offer ;  upon  this,  the  miser  desired  his 
cook  to  broil  him  another — but,  find- 
ing the  larder  was  totally  empty,  Tay- 
lor harshly  rebuked  her  for  not  having 
it  well  -supplied  with  a  quarter  of  a 
pound,  to  cut  out  in  slices  wheneyer  it 
was  wanted  for  company.  He  then  in- 
formed the  overseers  of  the  poor,  that  he 
had  left  by  his  will,  one  thousand  pounds 
sterling  for  their  relief,  and  eagerly  in- 
quired if  they  would  not  allow  him  dis- 
count for  prompt  payment :  this  being 
assented  to,  apparently  much  delighted, 
he  immediately  gave  them  a  check  for 
nine  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and 
soon  after  breathed  his  last. 


IE.  Beautte  and  the  OfQ.cial  Smngrgrler. 

It  is  difficult  to  imagine  a  collection 
more  rich  in  those  thousand  wonders 
which  tempt  the  female  heart,  than  is 
seen  at  Beautte's,  who  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  fashionable  jewellers  in 
Geneva ;  it  is  almost  enough  to  drive  a 
Parisian  mad,  or  to  make  Cleopatra 
palpitate  with  longing  in  her  grave. 

This  jewelry  is  liable  to  a  duty  on 
entering  France ;  but,  for  a  premium 
of  five  per  cent.,  M.  Beautte  under- 
takes to  smuggle  it.  The  bargain  be- 
tween the  buyer  and  seller  is  publicly 
made  on  this  condition,  as  if  there 
were  no  custom-house  officers  in  the 


world — M.  Beautte  possessing  won- 
derful address  in  setting  them  at  fault, 
and  thus  securing  a  vast  amount  of 
profitable  trade. 

When  the  Count  de  Saint  Crieg  was 
director-general  of  the  customs,  he 
heard  of  this  skill,  by  which  the  vigil- 
ance of  his  officers  was  thwarted,  and, 
so  frequently  was  it  mentioned,  that 
he  resolved  to  assure  himself  whether 
all  was  true  that  was  said  of  it.  He 
subsequently  went  to  Geneva,  presented 
himself  in  person  at  M.  Beautte's  shop, 
and  purcliased  thirty  thousand  francs' 
worth  of  jewelry,  on  condition  that  it 
should  be  delivered,  without  paying  the 
import  duty,  at  his  residence  in  Paris. 
M.  Beautte  agreed  to  the  condition  like 
a  man  accustomed  to  bargains  of 
the  kind,  and  merely  presented  to  the 
purchaser  a  sort  of  promissory  note,  by 
which  he  undertook  to  pay  the  usual 
five  per  cent.,  besides  the  thirty  thou- 
sand francs  purchase  money.  The  latter 
smiled ;  took  up  a  pen,  signed  "  De 
Saint  Crieg,  director-general  of  the 
French  customs,"  and  handed  back  the 
paper  to  Beautte,  who  looked  at  the 
signature,  and  contented  himself  with 
quietly  answering,  with  a  bend  of  the 
head,  "  M.  le  directeur,  the  article  which 
you  have  done  me  the  honor  of  buying, 
will  arrive  at  Paris  as  soon  as  your- 
self." 

M.  de  Saint  Crieg,  whose  interest 
was  now  excited  to  the  highest  pitch, 
scarcely  gave  himself  time  to  dine,  sent 
to  the  post  for  horses,  and  set  out  an 
hour  after  the  bargain  had  been  con- 
cluded. M.  de  Saint  Crieg  made  him- 
self known  to  the  officers  who  came  to 
examine  his  carriage,  told  the  principal 
one  what  had  happened  him,  enjoined 
the  most  active  surveillance  on  the 
whole  line,  and  promised  a  reward  of 
fifty  louis  to  the  officer  who  should 
succeed  in  seizing  the  prohibited  jew- 
elry. 

Not  a  custom-house  officer  slept  dur- 
ing three  days.  In  the  mean  while,  M. 
de  Saint  Crieg  arrived  at  Paris,  alight- 


238 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


ed  at  his  residence,  kissed  his  wife  and 
children,  and  went  to  his  room  to  take 
off  his  travelling  costume.  The  first 
thing  he  perceived  on  the  chimney 
piece  was  an  elegant  box,  with  the 
shape  of  which  he  was  acquainted. 
He  approached  it,  and  read  on  the 
silver  plate  which  ornamented  the 
top,  "  The  Count  de  Saint  Crieg, 
Director-General  of  the  Customs," 
He  opened  it,  and  found  the  jewelry 
he  had  purchased  at  Geneva  1 

Beautte  had  made  an  arrangement 
with  one  of  the  waiters  at  the  inn, 
who,  while  assisting  M.  de  Saint  Crieg's 
servants  to  pack  their  master's  luggage, 
had  slipped  the  prohibited  box  among 
it.  On  his  arriving  at  Paris,  his  valet, 
noticing  the  elegance  of  the  case,  and 
the  inscription  engraved  upon  it,  had 
hastened  to  place  it  upon  his  master's 
chimney  piece.  Thus  the  director-gen- 
eral of  the  customs  was  the  first  smug- 
gler in  the  kingdom. 


drawer,  and  he  was  taken,  as  Prince 
Hal  says,  "  in  the  manner." 


Mode  of  Protecting:  the  Money  Drawer. 

A  YOUNG  apprentice  lad  was  very 
ingeniously  detected  in  stealing  money 
from  the  drawer  of  Mr.  Throop's  store. 
He  had  for  some  months  made  it  a 
practice  to  call  at  the  store  when  there 
was  no  one  in  excepting  the  owner  or 
one  of  his  clerks.  He  would  generally 
then  call  for  wine,  or  some  trifling  arti- 
cle kept  in  the  store  cellar,  and,  in 
their  absence  to  procure  it,  it  was  sus- 
pected that  he  made  somewhat  too 
free  with  the  money  drawer.  One  day, 
Mr.  Throop  fastened  a  strong  cord  to 
the  back  of  the  drawer,  and  let  one 
end  pass  through  a  small  hole  into  the 
cellar.  It  was  but  a  short  time  before 
the  boy  came  in,  and  observing  no  one 
but  the  proprietor  about  the  store, 
called  for  some  wine.  On  entering  the 
cellar,  the  owner  perceived  the  cord  to 
move,  caught  hold  of  it,  and,  with  a 
sudden  and  violent  jerk,  made  it  fast. 
He  then  ran  up  stairs,  and  found  the 
young  rogue  with  his  hand  fast  in  the 


"Done  for"  Twice. 

A  FAT,  burly  English  landlord  was 
sitting  one  afternoon  at  the  door  of  his 
inn,  when  a  person  entered  the  house, 
and  after  complimenting  its  cleanliness 
and  snug  appearance,  ordered  a  good 
dinner  and  a  bottle  of  wine.  The  din- 
ner, when  cooked,  was  laid  in  an  upper 
apartment,  looking  out  upon  a  pleasant 
garden ;  and  after  it  had  been  thorough- 
ly '  discussed,'  and  the  wine  sipped 
toothsomely  to  the  bottom  of  the  bot- 
tle, the  satisfied  guest  sent  for  his  host, 
and,  when  he  had  entered  the  room, 
thus  addressed  him  :  "  You  have  a  fine 
inn  here,  landlord — a  very  fine  inn ; 
everything  is  particularly  nice — in  fact, 
what  I  call  comfortable."  The  land- 
lord expressed  his  gratification. 

"  I  shall  have  great  pleasure,"  con- 
tinued the  guest,  without  noticing  the 
interruption,  "in  recommending  your 
house  to  my  friends  in  town.  Ahem  ! 
There  remains  only  one  thing  more  to 
mention,  landlord ;  and  as  the  subject 
is  one  which  I  have  reason  to  think 
will  be  as  unpleasant  to  you  as  to  my- 
self, I  will  express  it  in  a  few  words : 
I  have  not,  at  this  moment,  any  money  ; 
but  I  will  be  here  again  in — "  '■'■No 
money  !  "  exclaimed  the  landlord,  in  a 
voice  husky  with  anger — "  no  money  !  1 
Then  why  did  you  come  to  the  '  Hen 
and  Chickens,'  and  run  up  a  bill  that 
you  can't  pay  ?  Get  out  of  my  house 
this  instant !  Go  !  " 

"  I  expected  this,"  replied  the  guest, 
rising ;  "  I  anticipated  this  treatment ; 
nor  can  I  much  blame  you,  landlord, 
to  tell  the  truth,  for  you  don't  Tcnmo 
me.  Because  you  sometimes  meet 
with  deception,  you  think  /  am  de- 
ceiving you ;  but  I  pledge  you  my 
honor  that  a  fortnight  from  to-day  I 
will  be  with  you  again,  and  you  will 
confess  yourself  ashamed  of  your  sus- 
picions."   "  Bah  1  you're  a  swindler  I " 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


239 


ejaculated  Boniface  ;  "  this  will  be  the 
last  of  you — take  that  ?  "  and  with  a 
vigorous  coup  de  pied,  was  "  sped  the 
parting  guest."  "You  will  live  to 
regret  this,  landlord,  I  am  sure ;  but 
I  do  not  blame  you,  for  you  are  igno- 
rant of  my  character,"  was  the  meek 
reply  to  this  gross  indignity. 

Just  two  weeks  from  that  day,  this 
same  ill-used  gentleman  (with  a  travel- 
ling friend)  was,  with  many  apologies 
and  protestations,  shown  into  the  best 
room  of  the  celebrated  "  Hen  and  Chick- 
ens "  inn.  The  landlord's  profuse  apol- 
ogies were  accepted ;  he  was  forgiven ; 
and  even  invited  to  dine  with  the  two 
friends  upon  the  best  dinner,  flanked 
by  the  very  choicest  wines  which  his 
house  afforded.  When  all  was  finished, 
and  while  the  landlord,  who  had  be- 
come exceedingly  mellow,  was  protest- 
ing that  he  should  never  be  so  sus- 
picious of  a  "  real  gentleman  "  again 
(referring,  of  course,  to  the  little  scene 
at  the  previous  visit),  he  was  inter- 
rupted by  his  first  guest  with — "  But, 
landlord,  there  is  one  thing  which  we 
ought,  in  simple  justice  to  you,  to  men- 
tion. /  do  not  happen  to  have,  at  this 
moment,  a  single  penny ;  and,  I  grieve 
to  say,  that  my  companion,  who  is  a 
good  man,  but,  in  a  mere  worldly  point 
of  view,  very  poor,  is  not  a  whit  better 
off.  Under  these  unpleasant  circum- 
stances, it  becomes,  as  it  were,  a  neces- 
sity, to  bid  you  a  very  good  evening." 
It  would  be  difficult  to  say  whether  the 
phiz  of  the  amazed  landlord  was  black 
or  blue  at  this  point.  But,  ejaculating, 
"  Done  twice !  the  Hen  and  Chickens 
done  twice ! — and  both  times  exactly 
alike,"  he  went  down  to  set  the  swindle 
to  the  account  of  "  Profit  and  Loss." 


Lookingr  Glass  for  Wall  Street. 

The  aptness  of  Mr.  Kimball's  de- 
scription of  a  certain  class  of  nervous, 
anxious  people,  who  have  to  raise 
money  from  day  to  day,  and  whose 
business  locality  is  Wall  street,  will  be 


appreciated  by  all  who  have  seen  a 
certain  proverbial  animal  or  his  tusks. 
He  says  :  It  seems  miraculous  how  this 
class  can  endure  such  a  never-ending 
state  of  bondage.  Some  of  these  are 
fashionable,  their  connections  are  of 
the  first  distinction,  their  associations 
most  desirable.  They  keep  up  hand- 
some establishments;  they  earn  by 
their  pursuits  $4,000  a  year,  and  spend 
$5,000.  They  always  anticipate  what 
is  due  them,  and  are  always  harassed  for 
ready  money.  They  are  honorable  fel- 
lows, and  would  not  plead  usury  under 
circumstances  the  most  aggravating. 
They  make  notes,  and  get  a  broker  to 
sell  them.  This  broker,  understanding 
their  antecedents,  and  whom  they 
are  most  intimate  with,  goes  proba- 
bly to  some  rich  friend  of  the  partic- 
ular "  party "  wanting  a  loan,  who 
is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
"  case,"  and  who  knows  that  the  notes 
will  be  paid  when  due,  although  at 
the  sacrifice  of  putting  a  new  one  on 
the  market,  and  getting  it  shaved  some- 
where. So  he  cashes  it  at  a  fearful 
rate,  puts  the  broker  under  an  oath  of 
secrecy  not  to  reveal  where  he  got  the 
money,  which  oath  it  is  for  the  broker's 
interest  to  keep,  and  our  fashionable 
acquaintance  is  relieved.  He  hurries 
home  in  time  for  the  opera  or  a  dinner 
out,  and,  meeting  several  duns  in  the 
hall,  he  pays  them  off,  and  sets  about 
his  evening's  enjoyment. 

There  are  others  who,  having  an 
excellent  Government  contract,  either 
"  General,"  "  State,"  or  "  Corporation," 
need  funds  to  help  them  through 
with  it.  They  can  afford  to  pay  well, 
and  they  do  pay  well  for  cash  accom- 
modations. In  fact,  the  street  is  full 
of  persons  about  to  realize,  who  want 
money  in  advance  of  the  period,  and 
who  are  ready  to  pay  a  large  bonus  for 
it.  The  result  is,  they  do  all  the  work, 
and  the  money  lender  gets  nearly  aU 
the  profits.  Sometimes  this  latter  per- 
sonage mistakes  his  investment  and 
makes  a  loss.    But  he  can  well  afford 


240 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


it.  And  he  never  quarrels  with  the 
man  who  has  been  so  unfortunate  as 
to  "  let  him  in." 


Hangringr  a  Broker,  One  Hundred  Tears 
A^o. 

Just  one  hundred  years  ago,  namely, 
in  1762,  a  London  broker,  named  John 
Rice,  was  hung  for  malpractice  in  busi- 
ness. A  female  customer  of  Rice,  and 
for  whom  Rice  was  in  the  habit  of 
receiving  stock  dividends,  was,  under 
false  representations,  induced  to  grant 
a  power  to  sell,  as  well  as  to  receive  the 
interest.  The  broker  sold  all  his  pa- 
tron's stock,  employed  the  proceeds 
to  meet  his  losses,  and  kept  up  the 
deception  by  sending  her  the  proceeds 
as  usual.  The  lady,  moved  by  doubt, 
or  by  some  other  impulse,  in  course  of 
time  intimated  to  Rice  her  intention 
of  vi  .siting  the  city.  Unable  to  re- 
store the  principal,  Rice  took  the  alarm, 
and  fled,  leaving  with  his  wife  five 
thousand  pounds  of  the  misappropri- 
ated property.  Ignorant  of  his  deeds, 
and  anxious  to  join  her  husband,  she 
also  embarked  for  Holland.  The  weath- 
er was  rough;  the  vessel  was  driven 
back ;  and  the  person  sent  in  search  of 
the  husband  apprehended  the  wife,  who 
yielded  the  money  in  her  possession, 
leaving  herself  entirely  destitute.  The 
search  continued  for  Rice,  and  being  at 
last  found,  he  was  made  to  suflfer  the 
stringent  penalty  of  the  law. 


Quaker  Sroker  and  the  Stolen 
Doubloons. 

The  Quakers  were  once,  more  than 
at  present,  a  power  in  the  commer- 
cial world  in  New  York.  They  were 
an  honest,  industrious,  and  extremely 
shrewd  race  of  merchants,  not  devoid 
of  humor  and  sarcasm,  and,  though 
religious  non-combatants,  not  in  the 
least  disposed  to  allow  themselves  to 
be  the  victims  of  roguery. 

One  of  this  fraternity — a  dealer  in 
specie  and  exchange,  and  a  large  pur- 
chaser of  gold  coin — one  day  left  his 


counting  house  in  haste,  and  crossed 
the  street  to  accost  a  Mend.  He  had 
just  purchased  a  quantity  of  doub- 
loons, which  he  had  omitted  to  lock 
up  in  his  safe.  The  office  was,  empty. 
When  the  old  Quaker  returned,  the 
room  was  in  the  same  condition — no 
one  was  in  it — but  one  of  the  bags  of 
doubloons  was  missing.  The  Quaker 
now  locked  up  the  others,  and  opened 
not  his  mouth  on  the  subject  of  the 
loss.  Days  passed,  and  weeks,  but  no 
reward  was  offered,  no  policemen  were 
set  on  the  track  of  the  thief — the  old 
Quaker  stood  his  loss  like  a  statue. 
Two  or  three  months  afterward,  his 
neighbor,  a  small  mercantile  man,  hap- 
pened to  be  in  his  counting  room, 
conversing  on  the  topics  of  the  day. 
Suddenly  turning  to  the  Quaker,  he 
inquired : 

"  By  the  way,  Mr, ,  did  you  ever 

hear  anything  of  the  bag  of  doubloons 
you  lost  ? " 

Up  started  the  old  Quaker  in  an 
instant. 

"  Thee'TS  the  thief,  John  !  thee're  the 
thief — /  never  told  any  one  I  lost  tJie 
dag  !  " 

Needless  to  say,  the  doubloons  were 
restored,  and  the  clumsy  rogue  par- 
doned, with  a  caution  to  go  and  sin 
no  more. 


Louis  the  Fifteenth's  Opinion  of  his   . 
Own  Paper. 

The  fact  of  Louis  the  Fifteenth's  be- 
ing a  stock  jobber  was  a  somewhat  un- 
fortunate one  for  those  who  fell  into 
his  financial  clutches.  He  operated 
principally,  in  his  exchange  and  loan 
transactions,  through  M.  Bertin,  his 
banker.  The  latter  did  his  master's 
stockjobbing  very  profitably,  too,  by 
buying,  on  the  spot,  good  paper  at  six 
and  seven  per  cent.,  according  to  the 
scarcity  of  money.  One  day  the  bank- 
er proposed  to  Louis  the  Fifteenth  an 
operation  of  several  millions. 

"  Sire,"  said  M.  Bertin  to  the  royal 
stock  jobber, "  the  royal  bills  lose  a  great 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


241 


deal  in  tlie  place;  their  discount  is 
now  considerable ;  it  is  the  very  mo- 
ment to  buy  several  millions.  I  am 
certain  they  will  rise,  and  that  there 
must  follow  a  considerable  profit  to 
some  one  in  a  short  time." 

"  That  paper,"  replied  the  "  prudent " 
monarch,  "  is  not  to  be  depended  upon ; 
the  risk  is  too  great !  " 

It  was  Tiis  own  paper  of  which  he  was 

talking ! 

> 

Consequence  of  a  Simple  Ifercantlle 
Speculation. 

AccoRDrNG  to  a  French  authority, 
the  war  between  England  and  France 
in  1777  was  the  consequence  of  a  simple 
mercantile  speculation.  Several  of  our 
ministers  (says  a  writer  in  high  posi- 
tion at  that  period)  have  made  among 
themselves  an  act  of  copartnership,  in 
the  commerce  of  America.  The  first 
expeditions  proved  very  profitable ;  but 
as  they  have  a  considerable  outstanding 
fund,  they  will  not  dissolve  their  part- 
nership before  they  are  reimbursed  for 
their  advances  and  receive  the  profits 
which  are  to  arise,  according  to  the  cal- 
culations they  have  made.  Peace  would 
overturn  all  their  speculations,  and  ruin 
the  lenders  of  the  various  funds.  The 
expenses,  etc.,  of  the  "  establishment " 
amount  to  an  enormous  sum.  First  of 
all  must  be  paid  their  directors  ;  their 
bookkeepers ;  their  under  clerks; — then 
follow  the  mistresses  of  the  ministers, 
their  sons  or  daughters,  brothers,  cous- 
ins, and  even  their  grandchildren ; — 
then  those  who  lend  their  name  to  this 
speculation ;  courtiers  and  protectors. 
When  this  world  of  dependants  is  paid, 
ministers  are  to  personally  gain,  not- 
withstanding all,  cent,  per  cent.  Then 
calculate  the  inferior  profits  which 
must  be  made  before  the  net  balance. 
Several  of  the  ministers'  proteges,  who 
were  known  to  have  had  at  first  only  a 
salary  of  six  thousand  livres,  afterward 
enjoyed,  by  these  commercial  operations 
priced  with  blood,  an  income  of  one 
hundred  thousand,  and  became  lords  of 
16 


two  or  three  manors.  One  of  the  chief 
clerks  of  a  French  mercantile  house  was 
heard  to  remark,  in  November,  1777 : 
If  peace  took  place  at  this  moment,  my 
principal  would  be  ruined,  and  I  too. 
We  have  all  our  fortune  in  America, 
and  we  M^ait  for  it  with  impatience. 
This  is  the  reason  for  which  the  king 
has  not  yet  declared  for  the  Americans; 
he  will  only  do  this  when  the  ships  we 
eapect  are  safely  arrived. 


City  Merchant  Securing:  a  Customer. 

An  eager  merchant  in  New  York, 
having  heard  of  the  arrival  of  a  coun- 
try trader  who  was  known  to  be  a  large 
purchaser  and  of  unquestionable  credit, 
was  resolved  to  get  him  to  visit  his  es- 
tablishment— and,  once  there,  he  felt 
sure  that  he  could  secure  him  as  a  cus- 
tomer. He  accordingly  sent  out  one  of 
his  drummers,  of  whom  he  had  a  large 
number,  adapted  to  every  taste  and 
disposition.  The  one  sent,  however, 
returned  without  success.  Number  two 
was  despatched,  and  with  no  better  re- 
sult ;  and  again,  number  three,  and  so 
on,  until  all  had  gone  and  come  back 
without  their  man.  The  merchant  now 
determined  to  go  himself;  and,  finding 
that  brandy  and  water  and  free  tickets 
to  the  theatre  were  of  no  avail,  for  the 
country  trader  did  not  take  the  one  nor 
go  to  the  other,  and  would  not  be  per- 
suaded by  any  such  inducements,  he 
was  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  a  rv^e. 
It  was  simple  enough,  but  it  proved 
effectual.  On  the  merchant  taking  his 
leave,  after  a  pleasant  interview,  he 
took  care  to  commit  the  "  mistake  "  of 
taking  the  trader's  hat  instead  of  his 
own.  Next  morning,  as  was  expected, 
the  merchant  received  a  prompt  visit 
at  his  store,  from  the  country  trader, 
who  came  to  look  up  the  hat  which 
had  thus,  as  he  supposed,  been  hur- 
riedly exchanged.  This  was,  of  course, 
all  that  was  wanted.  The  visit  was  se- 
cured, and  a  good  bill  was  the  result. 


242 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Tradesmen's  Ticketing:  System. 

The  tendency  of  tradesmen  to  speak 
"by  the  card"  is  made  manifest  by 
the  enormous  extent  to  which  goods 
are  now-a-days  ticketed.  At  one  es- 
tablishment articles  are  being  "  given 
away,"  while  at  the  next  door  the  pro- 
prietors are  undergoing  the  daily  tor- 
ment of  an  "  alarming  sacrifice."  One 
would  imagine  that  self-immolation 
was  a  popular  pastime  with  the  trades- 
men in  our  cities.  Innumerable  win- 
dows announce  the  determination  of 
the  proprietor  "  to  sell  considerably 
under  cost ; "  from  which  it  would 
seem  that  keeping  a  shop  is  a  piece  of 
disinterestedness,  by  which  one  man  de- 
termines to  victimize  himself— and  oc- 
casionally a  few  creditors — for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  public  in  general.  These 
sacrifices,  however,  do  not  seem  to  be 
wholly  without  their  reward,  for, 
strange  to  say,  the  tradesmen  who  re- 
sort to  them  very  frequently  prosper, 
in  spite  of  their  recklessness  of  their 
own  private  interests.  Thus,  while  the 
tickets  in  the  windows  bespeak  a  "  ru- 
inous reduction,"  the  premises  them- 
selves display,  from  day  to  day,  "a 
splendid  enlargement,"  and  when  "  sac- 
rifices "  are  to  be  performed,  the  temples 
are  often  decorated  in  a  style  of  gorge- 
ous magnificence.  That  sacrifices  are 
made,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  but  it  is 
another  question  who  are  the  victims. 
In  some  houses  it  is  in  contemplation 
to  keep  a  bankrupt  permanently  on  the 
premises,  to  professionally  preside  at  a 
counter  set  apart  for  giving  things  away 
and  going  to  ruin. 


Economical  Hardware  Uerchant. 

A  FEW  years  since,  a  snug  hardware 
merchant,  who  had  made  his  fortune  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  determined  to 
sell  ofiF  his  stock  and  retire.  His  goods 
were  soon  disposed  of,  and  the  shop 
empty.  In  sweeping  out  the  store  one 
day,  however,  he  found  in  the  crevices 


and  comers  a  few  stray  shot — about 
twenty — of  aU  sizes.  These  he  gathered 
up  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  stood 
for  some  seconds  gazing  at  them ;  at 
length,  seizing  his  hat,  he  went  into  an 
adjoining  liquor  store,  where  they  also 
sold  shot,  and  thus  addressed  the  pro- 
prietor :  "  In  cleaning  my  store,  I  found 
a  few  shot — they  are  of  no  use  to  me, 
but  to  you  they  are  worth  something ; 
I  don't  value  them  very  highly,  but 
perhaps  (here  he  niggardly  lowered  his 
voice)  you  would  give  me  half  a  glass 
of  leer  for  them." 


Unparalleled  Parsimony  and  Benevo- 
lence of  a  IVrillionnaire. 
When,  on  a  certain  occasion,  a  pub- 
lic hospital  was  to  be  built  in  London, 
many  benevolent  individuals  volun- 
teered to  solicit  contributions  by  call- 
ing upon  the  inhabitants.  Two  or 
three  gentlemen  went  to  a  small  house 
in  an  impoverished  neighborhood — for 
the  pence  of  the  poor  were  solicited  as 
well  as  the  poimds  of  the  rich.  The 
door  was  partially  open,  and  as  they 
drew  nigh,  they  overheard  an  old  man 
giving  a  female  servant  a  thorough 
scolding  for  having  thrown  away  a 
match,  only  one  end  of  which  had  been 
used.  Although  so  trivial  a  matter,  the 
master  appeared  to  be  greatly  enraged, 
and  the  collectors  remained  some  time 
outside  the  door,  before  the  old  man 
had  finished  his  angry  .lecture,  and 
could  hear  a  knock  from  the  outside. 
When  the  tones  of  his  voice  were  some- 
what subdued,  they  entered,  and,  pre- 
senting themselves  to  this  strict  observ- 
er of  frugality  and  saving,  explained 
the  object  of  their  application;  but 
they  did  not  anticipate  much  success. 

The  millionnaire  miser,  however,  for 
such  he  was  reputed  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, no  sooner  understood  their  ob- 
ject, than  he  opened  a  closet,  and 
bringing  forth  a  well-filled  bag,  count- 
ed therefrom  four  hundred  guineas, 
which  he  presented  to  the  astonished 
applicants.    They  expressed  their  sur- 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


243 


prise  and  thankfulness,  and  could  not 
refrain  from  telling  the  old  gentleman 
that  they  had  overheard  his  difficulty 
■with  his  domestic,  and  how  little  they 
expected,  in  consequence,  to  have  met 
with  such  munificence  from  him. 

"Gentlemen,"  replied  the  old  man, 
"your  surprise  is  occasioned  by  my 
care  of  a  thing  of  such  little  conse- 
quence ;  but  I  keep  my  house  and  save 
my  money  in  my  own  way ;  my  parsi- 
mony enables  me  to  bestow  more  liber- 
ally on  charity.  With  regard  to  benev- 
olent donations,  you  may  always  expect 
most  from  prudent  people  who  keep 
their  own  accounts,  and  who  pay  atten- 
tion to  trifles." 


Oolloatiy  between  a  Storekeeper  and 
his  Customer. 

"Storekeepeb  :  "  That's  a  bad  fifty- 
cent  piece.  I  can't  take  it.  It  is  only 
lead  silvered  over." 

"  Well,"  replies  the  customer,  "  ad- 
mitting such  to  be  the  fact,  I  should 
say  that  the  ingenuity  displayed  in  the 
deception  might  well  induce  you  to  ac- 
cept it.  Admire,  sir,  the  devotion  of 
the  artist  to  the  divine  idea  of  Liber- 
ty, the  idol  of  us  all !  He,  having 
wrought  her  effigy  in  humble  lead,  in 
order  to  make  it  worthier  of  that  glori- 
ous impression,  resorts  to  the  harmless 
expedient  of  silvering  it  over !  And 
shall  we  harshly  repudiate  his  patriotic 
instincts— deny  his  work  the  paltry 
value  of  fifty  cents  ?  Oh,  no,  sir  \  you'll 
take  it ;  I  know  you  will !  " 

"  Enough  said  :  "  he  did  take  it,  like 
a  man  I 


Jew  liOBxag  a  Bargrain. 

It  is  not  often  that  a  Jew,  bent  on  a 
nice  little  trade,  is  outwitted,  or  comes 
off  second  best.  That  such  a  contin- 
gency, however.  Is  among  the  rare  pos- 
sibilities in  business  affairs,  the  follow- 
ing will  show : 

Some  children  were  once  playing  in 
the  Kent  road,  near  Blackheath,  Eng- 
land, amusing  themselves  with  making 


grottos  of  oyster  shells ;  and,  in  order 
to  give  effect,  one  of  the  children  went 
home  and  begged  of  his  mother  to  let 
him  have  two  old  pictures  that  were 
lying  about  the  house  and  considered 
but  as  useless  lumber,  to  adorn  their 
grotto.  This  was  readily  granted,  and 
the  old  pictures  were  placed  one  on 
each  side  of  the  grotto. 

In  a  short  time  a  Jew  dealer  came 
by,  and  after  looking  at  the  pictures 
for  some  time,  he  offered  to  give  the 
children  sixpence  for  them;  the  chil- 
dren refused,  and  said  that  they  be- 
longed to  their  parents.  The  Jew,  at 
last,  offered  five  shillings,  but  was  still 
refused,  and,  at  last,  went  to  the  par- 
ents, and  offered  ten  shillings ;  but  the 
extreme  eagerness  of  the  Jew  excited 
some  suspicion  that  the  old  pictures 
were  of  more  value  than  had  been  sup- 
posed, and  this  was  confirmed  when  the 
Jew  offered  five  pounds  and  five  shil- 
lings for  them,  which  was  also  refused. 
The  next  day,  the  father  of  the  children 
took  the  pictures  to  a  connoisseur,  to 
inquire  if  they  were  of  any  value,  and 
that  gentleman  gave  him  a  letter  of  re- 
commendation to  a  person  in  London, 
who  purchased  them  for  fourteen  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  they  were  afterward 
sold  for  much  more. 


Attention  to  Trivial  Things  by  Girard. 

Even  after  his  head  was  white  with 
the  frosts  of  nearly  fourscore  years, 
Girard  gave  the  minutest  attention  to 
the  most  trivial  thing  that  could  affect 
his  fortune.  "  Take  that  lot  of  fowls 
away ;  the  roosters  are  too  many,  they 
will  keep  the  hens  poor,"  said  the  old 
merchant  to  a  farmer  who  had  brought 
them  for  one  of  Girard's  ships — "  take 
them  away — I  will  not  buy  them." 


Jewish  Opinion  of  Kothschild. 

It  is  very  well  known  that,  whatever 
may  have  been  the  redeeming  traits  in 
Baron  Rothschild's  character,  the  syna- 


244 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


gogue  generally  did  not  entertain  the 
same  respect  for  him  as  the  German 
Jews  do  for  the  Rothschilds  of  Frank- 
fort. Some  thought  he  might  have 
done  more  for  his  brethren  than  he 
did ;  and  that  if  he  had  only  used  the 
influence  which  he  possessed  with  Gov- 
ernment and  the  many  friends  which 
he  had  at  court,  all  the  civil  disabilities 
with  which  the  British  Jews  were  stig- 
matized Vould  have  been  abolished, 
when  the  proposition  was  first  mooted. 
"  But  Rothschild,"  as  was  said  of  him 
by  an  eminent  English  Jew,  "  was  too 
great  a  slave  to  his  money,  and  all 
other  slavery  was  counted  liberty  in  his 
sight." 


Avarice  of  Osterwald,  the  French 
Banker. 

Osterwald,  the  wealthy  French 
banker,  was  a  man  remarkable  for  his 
penuriousness.  So  strong  was  this 
habit  in  its  hold  upon  him,  that,  even 
within  a  few  days  of  his  death,  no  im- 
portunities could  induce  him  to  buy  a 
few  pounds  of  meat,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  little  soup,  in  order  to  nour- 
ish him.  "  'Tis  true,"  he  remarked,  "  I 
should  not  dislike  the  soup,  but  I  have 
no  appetite  for  the  meat  itself;  what, 
then,  will  become  of  that,  if  I  cannot 
eat  it  ?  "  At  the  time  that  he  refused 
this  nourishment,  for  fear  of  being 
obliged  to  give  away  two  or  three 
pounds  of  meat,  there  was  tied  around 
his  neck  a  silken  bag  which  contained 
eight  hundred  assignats  of  one  thou- 
sand livres  each.  At  his  outset  in  life 
he  drank  a  pint  of  beer,  which  served 
him  for  supper,  every  night,  at  a  house 
much  frequented,  and  from  which  he 
carried  home  all  the  bottle  corks  he 
could  come  at ;  of  these  latter,  in  the 
course  of  eight  years,  he  had  collected 
as  many  as  sold  for  twelve  louis  d'ors 
— a  sum  that  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
fortune,  the  superstructure  of  which 
was  rapidly  raised  by  his  uncommon 
success  in  stock  jobbing.  He  died  pos- 
sessed of  the  snug  sum  of  one  hundred 


and  twenty-five  thousand  pounds  ster- 
ling. 

— — — ♦ — 

Estimate  of  his  Own  Iiife  by  a  Kiser. 

An  old  bachelor,  whose  trading  skill, 
combined  with  the  most  grinding  close- 
fistedness,  had  enabled  him  to  amass  a 
clever  fortune  of  some  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  meeting  a  friend  one  day,  be- 
gan to  harangue  him  very  learnedly 
upon  the  detestable  sin  of  avarice,  and 
gave  the  following  instance  of  it. 
"  About  three  years  ago,"  said  he,  "  by 
a  very  odd  accident,  I  fell  into  a  well, 
and  was  absolutely  within  a  very  few 
minutes  of  perishing,  before  I  could 
prevail  upon  an  unconscious  dog  of  a 
laborer,  who  happened  to  be  within 
hearing  of  my  cries,  to  help  me  out  for 
a  shilling.  The  fellow  was  so  rapacious 
as  to  insist  upon  having  twenty-five 
cents,  for  above  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
and  I  verily  believe  he  would  not  have 
abated  me  a  single  farthing,  if  he  had 
not  seen  me  at  the  last  gasp  ;  and  I  de- 
termined to  die  rather  than  submit  to 
his  extortion." 


Stephen  Whitney's  Charities. 

NoTWiTHSTANDiNa  lic  stood  in  the 
front  rank  of  New  York  merchants 
in  point  of  immense  wealth,  Mr.  Whit- 
ney's charities  were  extremely  stinted. 
When  the  congregation  ot  which  he 
was  a  member  were  building  a  mission 
house,  he  was  applied  to  to  head  the 
subscription,  which  he  did  with  a  tri- 
fling sum.  The  gift  was  refused,  and  a 
larger  one  was  demanded,  as  in  better 
keeping  with  his  position.  "  Sir,"  was 
his  reply,  "  if  you  go  on  in  this  way, 
there  will  not  be  a  rich  man  left  in  the 
city  of  New  York."  It  is  also  said 
that  on  a  certain  occasion  he  was  called 
on  to  aid  a  political  movement  with 
his  subscription.  "  Sir,"  was  his  reply, 
"  I  have  no  money  to  spare ;  but  I'll 
come  and  sit  up  all  night  to  fold  bal- 
lots for  you." 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


245 


SkinfLint  Philosophy. 

When  that  respectable  skinflint, 
Elwes,  who  left  such  an  enormous  for- 
tune in  gold  to  be  divided  between 
his  two  sons,  was  advised  to  give  them 
some  education,  his  characteristic  an- 
swer was  :  "  Putting  things  into  peo- 
ple's heads  is  taking  money  out  of 
their  pocket." 


Baisingr  his  Customer. 

The  perseverance  of  trade  hunters  in 
some  of  our  large  cities  wiU  not  lose 
anything  in  comparison  with  the  tena- 
city of  that  griping  little  animal  called 
the  leech.  One  of  this  hunting  or 
drumming  class  in  Boston,  seeing  the 
name  of  a  Western  trader  registered  at 
one  of  the  hotels,  who  he  knew  would 
be  a  desirable  customer,  and  anxious  to 
secure  him  first,  put  himself  upon  the 
said  trader's  trail  in  this  wise :  He  sat 
down  in  the  office  of  the  hotel  to  watch 
the  ^y  of  the  Western  man's  bedroom 
till  he  should  come  in  to  claim  it ;  but 
something  kept  the  stranger  out  very 
late,  and  the  drummer  fell  asleep. 
When  he  awoke,  he  found  that  his 
customer  had  escaped  him  by  coming 
in  and  going  to  bed.  He  was  obliged 
to  give  it  up,  therefore,  for  that  night, 
but  early  on  the  next  morning,  he 
repaired  to  the  door  of  the  gentleman's 
bedroom,  and  seeing,  as  he  expected  to, 
his  loots  outside,  he,  with  a  lead  pencil, 
marked  them  across  again  and  again, 
until  they  could  not  be  mistaken, 
and  once  more  took  up  his  position 
in  the  office,  where  he  could  exam- 
ine at  a  glance,  the  boots  of  all  who 
came  down.  Finally  he  discovered 
the  ones  vntli  the  well-known  marks 
upon  them,  when,  with  much  suavity, 
he  cordially  addressed  the  wearer  by 
name,  as  if  he  had  known  Mm  for 
years,  and,  with  some  other  appropri- 
ate finesse,  which  it  would  be  quite  im- 
possible to  describe,  "raised  his  cus- 
tomer." 


Purloining  Speculator  in  the  French 
Funds. 

X was  a  speculator  upon  the 

Bourse  of  Paris — sometimes  successful 
and  sometimes  the  contrary.  He  had 
wasted  some  years  in  this  uncertain 
way  of  livelihood,  when  a  sudden  shift- 
ing of  the  funds  made  him  utterly  pen- 
niless. He  wandered  in  a  melancholy 
way  about  the  Exchange  for  a  week 
after,  wishing  very  vainly  for  a  few 
thousands,  to  make  a  new  venture  on ; 
when  one  day  he  chanced  to  see  a 
wealthy  banker  of  the  town  put  into 
his  pocket  a  well- filled  portemonnaie, 
containing  some  fifty  thousand  francs. 
He  knew  the  old  banker  well — knew 
his  habits — knew  his  absent  habit  of 
thought,  and  he  seemed  to  him  a  good 
subject  for  an  amateur  bit  of  roguery. 
He  therefore  pushed  after  him  in  the 
throng  which  belongs  to  the  closing 
hour  of  the  Bourse,  and,  brushing  with 
feigned  carelessness  against  him,  man- 
aged to  transfer  his  bank  bills  to  his 
own  pocket. 

The  banker  did  not  miss  his  purse 
until  he  was  by  his  own  office  fiire.  It 
was  too  late  to  attempt  to  find  it  again 
in  the  hall  of  the  Exchange.  Indeed, 
all  his  inquiries  proved  vain.  On  the 
fourth  day  after  his  loss,  he  received  a 
pleasant  letter,  informing  him  that  his 
money  was  in  good  hands,  and  if  affiairs 
at  the  Bourse  turned  well — as  the  wri- 
ter hoped  might  be  the  case — he  would 
in  time  refund  the  money. 

After  a  time,  the  banker,  who  had 
nearly  forgotten  the  money  and  the 
note,  received  an  enclosure  of  thirty 
thousand  francs,  on  account  of  the  fifty 
thousand  missing  four  years  before; 
and  the  writer  condescended  at  the 
same  time  to  inform  him  that  his  spfec- 
ulations  were  looking  favorably,  and, 
if  there  was  no  heavy  fall  within  a 
month,  he  hoped  to  refund  him  the 
balance  with  interest. 

The  banker  was  grateful  for  the  en- 
closure ;  but,  on  attentive  examination 
of  the  handwriting,  fancied  he  perceiv- 


246 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


ed  some  resemblance  to  letters  ad- 
dressed him  by  a  certain  broker  of  his 
acquaintance. 

An  "  expert "  was  called,  who  pro- 
nounced unhesitatingly  the  different 
letters  to  be  written  by  one  and  the 
game  person.  Upon  this,  the  eager 
banker,  just  now  in  need  of  the  addi- 
tional twenty  thousand,  entered  a  pros- 
ecution against  the  broker,  insisting 
upon  immediate  payment  of  the  bal- 
ance. 

X yery  naturally  defended  him- 
self against  a  charge  of  robbery,  which 
rested  on  so  unsubstantial  proof,  and 
defied  evidence  of  his  misdeeds ;  with 
what  result  is  best  known  to  the 
parties. 

In  view  of  the  uncertainty  of  the  de- 
cision, it  is  a  question  if  the  banker 
would  not  have  pursued  the  safer  pol- 
icy in  receiving  quietly  the  disgorge- 
ment of  a  rogue  who  had  proved  so 
prompt  in  his  instalments. 


Elnavery  of  Sritish  and  Chinese 
Traders  Compared. 

According  to  a  well-known  mercan- 
tile writer,  "A  grocer  is  a  man  who 
buys  and  sells  sugar,  and  plums,  and 
spices,  for  gain." 

Happy,  says  a  London  writer,  is  the 
English  grocer,  who  can  lay  his  hand 
upon  his  commercial  heart,  and,  mak- 
ing answer  to  the  text,  can  say — "  I  am 
the  man."  For  of  the  men  who  take 
over  unto  their  shop  doors  the  name 
of  grocer,  how  many  are  there  who  buy 
and  sell  sugar,  and  sugar  only;  who 
turn  the  penny  upon  spices  in  their 
purity ;  vend  nought  but  the  true  mace 
— the  undoctored  clove  ? 

Great  is  the  villany  of  the  Chinese  ; 
but  it  is  written  in  certain  books  of  the 
prying  chemist,  that  the  roguery  of  the 
Englishman — bent,  it  may  be,  upon  the 
means  of  social  respectability — doth 
outblush  the  pale  face  of  the  Tartar 
tricksters. 

The  Chinaman  glazes  his  tea  with 
Prussian  blue;  he  paints  his  Congou, 


and  adds  a  perfume  to  his  Twankay ; 
but  he — the  pig-taUed  heathen — does 
not  recognize  in  a  Britisher  a  man  and 
a  brother,  and,  in  his  limited  sympa- 
thies, fails  to  acknowledge,  in  any  Brit- 
ish maiden,  of  any  fabulous  age  soever, 
a  woman  and  a  sister.  The  China  tea- 
man is  a  benighted  barbarian;  the 
British  grocer  is  an  effulgent  Christian. 
The  Chinaman's  religion  is  the  gust  of 
revenge ;  the  Briton's  creed  is  the  creed 
of  common  love.     (Oh  !) 

It  is  possible,  if  the  effort  be  made, 
to  drop  a  tear  over  the  ignorance  of 
the  Chinaman  who  dusts  his  faded  tea 
leaves  over  with  chromate  of  lead ;  but 
shall  not  one's  eyes  flash  fire  at  the  en- 
lightened British  tea  dealer,  who  to  the 
withered  leaf  imparts  the  mortal  glow 
of  plumbago  ?  Nevertheless,  there  are 
grocers,  in  the  commercial  form  of  men, 
who  treat  the  stomachs  of  their  cus- 
tomers as  customers  treat  their  stoves 
— namely,  they  bestow  upon  their  in- 
ternals the  questionable  polish  of  black 
lead,  innocently  swallowed  in  cups  of 
liquid,  worse  and  blacker  than  the  La- 
cedemonian black  broth.  How  many 
an  innocent  tea-loving  spinster,  proud 
of  the  jetty  loveliness  of  her  fireplace, 
would  vent  a  spasm  of  horror  did  she 
know  that  the  polish  of  her  own  stove 
and  the  bloom  of  her  own  black  tea, 
fragrant  and  smoking  at  her  lips,  were 
of  one  and  the  same  black  lead — of 
lead  that,  in  due  suflBciency,  is  akin  to 
coffin  lead  I  And  the  English  grocer, 
intent  upon  deceit,  outvies — say  the 
chemists — ^the  teaman  of  the  flowery 
kingdom.  There  is  not  a  toss-up  be- 
tween the  two  ;  and  if  there  be,  though 
China  beats  by  a  tail,  England  fails  not 
to  win  by  a  head. 

Of  coffee  (a  word  still  found  in  some 
of  the  dictionaries)  it  is  hardly  neces- 
sary to  speak — the  acres  of  chiccory, 
wherein  the  pious  grocer  as  well  as  his 
customers  may  "  walk  forth  to  muse  at 
eventide,"  have  a  language  and  a  les- 
son of  their  own.  It  may  be  added, 
however,  that  perhaps  there  is  not  a 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


247 


more  touching,  a  more  instructive,  and 
withal  a  more  pathetic  picture  than 
either  man  or  woman  complacently  em- 
ployed in  drinking  what  the  drinker,  in 
more  than  primitive  innocence,  believes 
to  be  coffee — grocer's  coffee,  at  one  shil- 
ling per  pound ! 


"OomeriiiK"  amone:  Brokers. 

The  operation  of  "  cornering,"  as  the 
term  is,  is  played  by  brokers  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner :  Four,  five,  six,  or  ten 
(as  the  case  may  be)  brokers  enter  into 
an  arrangement  with  each  other  to  buy 
and  get  control  of  the  entire  stock  of 
some  company.  They  commence  by 
depressing  the  stock  as  much  as  possi- 
ble. To  do  this,  they  must  aU  appear 
to  be  sellers,  and  cry  down  the  price, 
representing  it  to  be  worthless,  and 
themselves  heartily  sick  of  everything 
pertaining  to  it.  While  they  are  pub- 
licly selling  lots  of  one  hundred  or  two 
hundred  shares,  their  agents  or  tools 
are  buying  all  that  they  can  get  hold 
of  As  soon  as  they  can  buy  all  the 
cash  stock  they  find  in  this  way,  they 
turn  suddenly  around  and  begin  to  buy 
on  time.  Parties  not  in  [the  secret,  of 
course,  are  willing  to  sell  on  thirty,  six- 
ty, or  ninety  days — even  though  they 
do  not  possess  the  stock — thinking 
that  before  the  expiration  of  that  time 
they  will  be  able  to  buy  it  at  a  less 
price  than  they  sold  it  at.  In  this  way, 
thousands  of  shares  are  sold,  to  be  de- 
livered at  a  future  day,  to  the  very  men 
who  own  every  share  of  the  stock  that 
has  ever  been  issued.  When  the  time 
arrives  for  delivery,  the  sellers  discover 
that  there  is  no  stock  to  be  had  but  of 
the  men  to  whom  they  have  sold  it. 
Of  course  they  must  pay  whatever  the 
owners  choose  to  demand.  If  the  game 
is  well  played,  the  comerers  will  make 
as  much  in  selling  as  they  did  in  buy- 
ing in.  Should  every  one  of  the  party 
prove  true  to  his  comrades,  they  will  so 
manage  as  to  get  rid  of  the  whole  stock 
to  outsiders  at  a  high  price.    It  will  be 


readily  seen  that  this  is  a  very  danger- 
ous game  unless  well  played ;  for  should 
any  of  the  parties  interested  "  let  fly  " 
without  letting  the  others  know  it,  the 
game  is  up,  and  although  he  may  make 
a  fortune,  it  will  be  at  the  sacrifice  of 
all  the  others. 


Stock  "  WasMnfir." 

What  is  known  as  the  game  of 
"washing"  among  stock  brokers,  is 
when  John  makes  a  sale  in  public  to 
Joe,  with  a  previous  understanding 
that  Joe  is  not  to  take  the  stock.  For 
instance,  John  holds  a  large  amount  of 
"  Harlem,"  which  he  is  anxious  to  get 
rid  of.  If  he  throws  it  into  the  market 
at  once,  he  is  pretty  sure  to  knock  the 
price  down.  His  safety  depends  upon 
a  stiff  market ;  and  he  goes  to  Joe  and 
makes  an  arrangement  with  him  to 
take  five  hundred  shares  at  full  price 
or  one  eighth  above.  They  both  go 
into  the  board,  and  when  Harlem  is 
called,  John  offers  one  hundred  shares 
at  fifty-eight  and  one  fourth,  cash.  No 
one  takes  them,  but  several  bid  fifty- 
seven,  and  fifty-seven  and  one  fourth  to 
one  half.  John  comes  down  one  eighth, 
and  Joe  "  takes  'em  ;  " — "  a  himdred 
more,"  "  take  'em ;  "  —  "a  hundred 
more,"  "  take  'em ;  "  —  "a  himdred 
more,"  "  take  'em."  John  now  "  holds 
up,"  and  Joe  offers  to  take  one  hun- 
dred more.  If  some  old  stager  sees 
through  the  game,  he  "  sticks "  Joe 
with  a  hundred,  and  the  game  is  up ; 
if  not,  why,  John  may  be  said  to  have 
succeeded,  and  the  market  for  Harlem 
is  firm.  "Washing"  will  hardly  go 
down  at  the  board ;  the  game  is  too 
old,  and  there  is  too  much  danger  in 
playing  it  when  there  are  none  but  old 
brokers  present ;  but  ia  the  street  it  is 
very  common,  and  many  a  "green" 
one  is  taken  in  by  a  "  wash  sale."  The 
truth  is,  a  man  who  does  not  under- 
stand the  business  had  better  go  to 
California  than  speculate  in  stocks. 


248 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Commercial  Croakers. 

The  commercial  croaker  is  a  charac- 
ter with  which  every  commercial  city 
and  neighborhood  is  infested.  Does  a 
friend  embark  in  a  mercantile  specula- 
tion of  any  sort,  he  is  the  first  to  in- 
form him  that  he  has  undertaken  im- 
possibilities, and  that  the  chances  of 
his  failure  are  ten  to  one.  Is  a  new 
movement  proposed  in  the  city,  the 
croaker  spreads  his  palms  and  rolls  up 
his  eyes  with  horror  at  the  audacity,  or 
turns  up  his  nose  with  a  sneer  at  your 
plans.  'Ifyou  spfeflc'of  the  ^owth  of 
Ms  native  city,  or  its  increased  facility 
for  business,  he  informs  you  oracularly 
that  "  all  is  not  gold  that  glitters." 
He  knows  of  at  least  one  hundred 
houses  which  are  for  sale  or  rent,  but 
which  cannot  find  any  tenants  upon 
any  terms.  He  informs  you  of  some 
nameless  friend  who  has  sold  real  es- 
tate and  stocks  at  aji  alarmingly  low 
rate,  in  order  to  raise  money  to  provide 
himself  with  a  new  location ;  and  he 
lachrymosely  expresses  the  belief  that 
in  less  than  five  years  the  grass  will  be 
growing  in  the  main  streets  of  the  city. 
If  A  fiiUs  for  a  couple  of  thousand  dol- 
lars, the  croaker  goes  snivelling  round 
the  streets,  predicting  that  nine  tenths 
of  the  merchants  in  the  city  will  be  in 
the  same  condition  within  the  year. 
Does  the  severity  of  the  winter  suspend 
navigation,  the  croaker  is  sure  that  the 
spring  business  is  ruined  for  that  year, 
and  that  by  midsummer  half  the 
names  in  town  will  be  gazetted  for 
bankruptcy.  When  political  excite- 
ment runs  high,  the  croaker  is  at  the 
height  of  his  enjoyment.  Of  course,  he 
predicts  the  reduction  of  property,  the 
want  of  money,  and  the  prospect  of  an 
overwhelming  commercial  crisis. 


Slavers  Balsing:  a  Capital. 

Once  on  a  time,  two  young  fellows, 
brothers,  went  to  Jamaica,  with  the 
intention  of  commencing  a  mercantile 


business.  They  were  by  trade  black- 
smiths. Finding,  soon  after  their  ar- 
rival, that  they  could  do  nothing  with- 
out a  little  money  to  begin  with,  but 
that  with  a  few  hundred  dollars  they 
might  be  able  to  realize  a  fortune,  they 
hit  upon  the  following  novel  and  inge- 
nious trick  :  One  of  them  stripped  the 
other  naked,  shaved  him  close,  and 
blackened  him  from  head  to  foot.  This 
ceremony  being  performed,  he  took 
him  to  one  of  the  negro  dealers,  who 
was  so  pleased  with  the  appearance  of 
the  young  fellow,  that  he  advanced 
four  hiinclred  dollars  currency  upon  the 
bill  of  sale  to  the  "  slavers ; "  and  prided 
himself  much  on  the  purchase,  suppos- 
ing him  the  finest  negro  upon  the  isl- 
and. The  same  evening,  this  manufac- 
tured negro  made  his  escape  to  his 
brother,  washed  himself  clean,  and  re- 
sumed his  former  appearance.  Rewards 
were  then  in  vain  offered  in  handbills, 
pursuit  was  eluded,  and  discovery,  by 
care  and  precaution,  rendered  imprac- 
ticable. The  brothers,  with  the  money 
thus  obtained,  commenced  commercial 
business,  and  finally  left  the  island  with 
a  large  fortune.  Previous,  however,  to 
their  departure  from  the  island,  they 
waited  upon  the  trader  from  whom 
they  had  received  the  money,  and,  re- 
calling the  circumstance  of  the  negro  to 
his  recollection,  paid  him  the  principal 
and  interest  with  thanks. 


Turtles  and  Qold  Snuff-Boxes. 

So  strict  is  meant  to  be  the  search- 
ing at  Russian  custom  houses,  in  order 
to  prevent  smuggling,  that  the  ship 
captain,  who  is  bound  to  give  an  in- 
ventory of  every  article  on  board,  may 
fall  into  imheard-of  trouble  if  he  forget 
so  much  as  his  own  private  Canary 
bird. 

There  was  an  English  captain  once 
at  Cronstadt  who  by  accident  forgot  to 
enter  a  fine  turtle  upon  his  list.  He 
told  the  leading  custom-house  official, 
plainly  and  honestly,  of  his  unfortunate 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


249 


omission,  and  tlie  functionary,  who  was 
a  good-natured  man,  saw  no  plain  way 
out  of  the  difficulty. 

He  recommended  that  the  matter 
should  be  glossed  over  by  assuming 
that  the  turtle  was  intended  for  the 
emperor.  The  captain  did,  therefore, 
formally  declare  that,  if  he  had  not  en- 
tered the  turtle,  it  was  because  it  had 
been  brought  expressly  as  an  English- 
man's gift  to  the  czar,  and  to  the  czar 
the  turtle  was  despatched  accordingly. 
Soon  after  there  arrived  a  Government 
messenger,  inquiring  for  this  most  cour- 
teous of  captains,  who  brought  the  gra- 
cious thanks  of  the  czar  Nicholas,  to- 
gether with  the  gift  of  a  gold  snuff- 
box, embellished  with  the  autocratic 
cipher  set  in  diamonds. 

Instead  of  fine  and  persecution,  there 
were  royal  gifts  and  honors  for  this 
lucky  sailor.  But  when,  afterward, 
some  other  trading  captains,  acting,  as 
they  imagined,  cunningly  upon  the 
hint,  brought  turtle  to  exchange  for 
gold  snuflf-boxes,  his  astute  majesty 
quietly  made  the  turtles  into  soup,  but 
declined,  by  any  act  of  exchange,  to 
add  snuff  boxes  to  the  articles  of  Rus- 
sian trade  shipped  at  the  port  of  Cron- 
stadt. 


Tobacco  in  Loaves. 

Sykeen,  a  custom-house  officer  at 
Liverpool,  apprehended  a  woman  who 
had  come  as  passenger  on  board  an 
American  vessel  to  that  port,  on  suspi- 
cion of  having  some  smuggled  tobacco 
in  her  possession.  Upon  examining  her 
dress,  seventeen  pounds  of  tobacco  were 
found  concealed  under  it ;  but  the  most 
remarkable  of  the  expedients  which  had 
been  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  de- 
ceiving the  lynx-eyed  deputies  of  the 
customs,  was  that  of  giving  to  the  con- 
traband leaf  the  resemblance  of  a  loaf. 
A  quantity  of  cut  tobacco  had  been 
pressed  into  a  tin,  over  which  a  thin 
layer  of  dough  was  spread,  and  this, 
being  baked,  had  the  appearance  to  the 


eye  of  a  veritable  and  edible  loaf.  The 
quantity  of  tobacco  which  the  woman 
had  contrived  to  secrete  in  this  and 
other  modes,  amounted  to  no  less  than 
seventy  pounds. 


Custom-House  Swearing:. 

Some  time  ago,  says  a  lively  writer, 
I  had  charge  of  a  department  in  one  of 
the  Eastern  custom  houses.  Holmes 
was  an  officer  in  the  same  room  ynth. 
me.  On  the  monthly  pay  day  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  make  oath  to  two 
pay  rolls — one,  th6  account  of  the  offi- 
cer himself,  and  the  other  of  the  sum 
due  to  his  assistant.  One  day.  Holmes 
signed  his  pay  roll,  received  his  money 
after  making  oath  to  its  correctness, 
and  walked  out,  without  signing  that 
of  his  assistant.  When  the  omission 
was  discovered,  I  went  for  him,  and  he 
bustled  in  with  a  "  What  do  you  want 
of  me  ?  "  "  To  sign  the  pay  rolls." 
"  But  I  have  already."  "  You  signed 
and  swore  to  one,  but  not  to  the 
other."  "  Well,"  said  Holmes,  "  I  knew 
I  swore  to  something — I  didn't  know 
exactly  what."  Such  swearing  is  said 
to  be  quite  custom-ary  in  the  custom 
house. 


Cool  Assurance  of  a  Doomed 
Financier. 

The  cool  assurance  of  Sadleir,  the 
greatest  of  modern  swindlers,  when  the 
fearful  guilt  of  his  transactions  had  al- 
ready become  known  in  more  than  one 
quarter,  is  hardly  paralleled  in  any  sim- 
ilar case.  This  was  particularly  mani- 
fested in  a  conversation  that  passed  in 
the  office  of  one  of  the  city  newspaper 
writers  at  the  time  referred  to.  Even 
steeped  as  he  was  to  his  eyes  in  crime, 
he  preserved  admirable  calmness,  and 
betrayed  not  the  least  apprehension. 

Scene :  Lombard  street,  London,  hour 
about  1  p.  M. 

John  Sadleir  (pale,  cadaverous,  but 
gentlemanly — introduced  by  a  friend 
and  brother  director  of  a  bank)  :  "  Oh, 


250 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


there  has  been  some  slight  mistake  re- 
specting the  announcement  of  the  drafts 
of  the  Tipperary  Bank  having  been  re- 
fused over  the  way ;  it  is  all  set 
straight ;  the  remittances  have  been 
delayed  passing  through  HuU,  when 
they  should  have  come  direct  to  Lon- 
don. Just  please  mention  it,  so  that 
the  fact  may  be  known." 

Party  addressed  :  "  You  are  sure  it  is 
all  right ;  because  it  will  be  awkward 
if  there  is  any  further  difficulty." 

Sadleir  and  his  friend:  "It  is  all 
made  straight;  you  can  ask  over  the 
way." 

Party  addressed :  "  You  are  sure 
there  will  be  no  fr&ih  hitch  f  " 

Sadleir  (plainly,  but  with  great  em- 
phasis) :  "  I  am  sure  there  will  be  no 
further  hitchP 

The  inquiry  was  made  "  over  the 
way ; "  it  was  stated  the  drafts  had 
been  provided  for,  and  the  explanation 
as  requested  was  afforded.  But  the 
party  entertained  his  suspicions,  and 
meeting  the  friend  of  Sadleir  late  in 
the  day,  he  asked  him  if  there  was  not 
something  "  doubtful  "  in  the  business. 
The  reply  was,  "  No,  there  cannot  be ; 
the  bank  has  just  declared  a  dividend 
and  bonus,  and  the  report  is  most  fa- 
vorable." Two  or  three  days  afterward 
the  explosion  took  place,  with  all  its 
tale  of  Sadleir's  infamy. 


Terrible  Sequel  to  Parsimony: 
M.  Fescue's  Case. 

M.  FoscuE,  who  had  amassed  enor- 
mous wealth  by  the  most  sordid  par- 
simony and  disreputable  extortion,  ap- 
plied his  ingenuity  to  discover  some 
effectual  way  of  hiding  his  gold.  With 
great  care  and  secrecy  he  dug  a  cave  in 
his  cellar.  To  this  receptacle  for  his 
treasure,  he  descended  by  a  trap  door, 
to  which  he  attached  a  spring  lock,  so 
that,  on  shutting,  it  would  fasten  of  it- 
self. By  and  by  the  miser  disappeared ; 
inquiries  were  made;  the  house  was 
searched;  woods  were  explored,  and 
the  ponds  dragged;    but   no  Foscue 


could  they  find.  Some  time  passed  on. 
The  house  where  he  lived  was  sold,  and 
workmen  were  busily  employed  in  its 
repair.  In  the  progress  of  their  work 
they  met  with  the  door  of  the  secret 
cave,  with  the  key  in  the  lock  outside. 
They  threw  back  the  door,  and  de- 
scended with  a  light.  The  first  object 
upon  which  the  lamp  reflected  was  the 
ghastly  body  of  Foscue,  and  scattered 
around  him  were  heavy  bags  of  gold, 
and  ponderous  chests  of  untold  treas- 
ure ;  a  candlestick  lay  beside  him  on 
the  floor.  The  worshipper  of  Mammon 
had  gone  into  his  cave,  to  pay  his  de- 
voirs to  his  golden  god,  and  became  a 
sacrifice  to  his  devotion. 


Attempt    to     Overthrow  Hothschild's 
Power  in  the  Honey  Market. 

Repeated  efforts,  but  always  with- 
out success,  and  generally  to  the  ruin 
of  the  party  making  the  same,  have 
been  made  to  overthrow  the  power  of 
Rothschild  in  the  money  market.  It 
was  clear  that  the  only  way  in  which 
this  could  be  done,  if  it  was  to  be  done 
at  all,  would  be  by  the  party  attempt- 
ing it  engaging  in  transactions  of  cor- 
responding magnitude. 

By  far  the  boldest  of  these  attempts 
was  that  once  made  by  a  young  gentle- 
man, a  Mr.  James  H .    He  made  a 

number  of  most  extensive  purchases, 
and  sold  out  again  to  a  very  large 
amount,  all  in  a  very  short  period  of 
time;  and  so  far  from  imitating  the 
character  of  the  rival  whose  empire  he 
sought  to  subvert,  in  the  secrecy  of  his 
transactions,  he  deemed  it  essential  to 
the  success  of  his  schemes  that  his  oper- 
ations should  be  performed  as  speedily 
as  possible. 

Mr.  H.  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy 
banker  in  the  country,  and  held,  at  the 
time  of  his  introduction,  money  stock 
in  his  own  name,  though  it  actually 
was  his  father's,  to  the  extent  of  £50,- 
000.  The  reputation  of  being  so  rich 
invested  him  at  once  with  great  impor- 
tance as  a  banker.    The  £50,000,  after 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


251 


Mr.  H.  had  been  some  time  a  member 
of  the  house,  was  privately  reti'ansferred 
to  his  father,  the  real  owner  of  it.  For 
some  time,  and  until  he  became  per- 
fectly master  of  the  rules  and  usages 
of  the  house,  he  acted  with  great  pru- 
dence and  caution,  confining  his  transac- 
tions to  small  amounts ;  but  he  even- 
tually began  to  astonish  "  the  natives  " 
— for  80  the  members  of  the  stock  ex- 
change are  often  called — by  the  bold- 
ness of  his  manoeuvres.  In  a  very  short 
time  he  became  the  dread  of  all  parties 
— the  bulls  and  bears  were  anxious  to 
follow  him ;  but,  like  Eothschild,  he 
evinced  a  disposition  to  act  independ- 
ently of  every  person  and  every  party. 

About  this  time  consols  were  as  high 
as  96  or  97.  In  a  few  months  after- 
ward symptoms  of  a  coming  panic  be- 
gan to  manifest  themselves ;  and  a 
well-known  writer  on  money  matters, 
having  at  the  time,  for  reasons  best 
known  to  himself,  begun  to  deal  out 
his  fulminations  against  the  Bank  of 
England,  in  an  influential  paper,  the 
unhealthy  state  of  the  money  market 
was  greatly  aggravated,  though  high 
prices  were  still  maintained.  Mr.  H. 
watched  the  state  of  things  with  great 
penetration  ;  and  being  satisfied  in  his 
own  mind  that  a  leader  was  only  want- 
ing to  commence  and  carry  on  a  suc- 
cessful war  against  Rothschild,  he  de- 
termined himself  to  become  that  lead- 
er— and  it  must  be  admitted  that  he 
acquitted  himself  as  an  able  general. 
Going  into  the  house  one  afternoon,  he 
accosted  one  of  the  most  respectable 
jobbers  thus : 

"  What  are  consols  ?  " 

"  96  and  98,"  was  the  answer. 

"  In  £100,000  ?  "  continued  he. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  jobber.  "  You  have 
them  ;  £100,000  more  ?  " 

"  I'll  take  £100,000  more." 

"  They  are  yours." 

"  Another  £100,000  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  want  any  more." 

On  this  transaction  being  finished, 
the  adventurous  young  gentleman  im- 


mediately turned  round  and  announced 
aloud  that  "£200,000  had  been  done  at 
96,  and  more  oflfered."  Then  walking 
backward  and  forward,  "  like  a  tiger 
in  a  den,"  he  followed  up  the  bold  tac- 
tics he  had  commenced  by  offering  any 
part  of  £1,000,000  at  94.  For  a  great 
part  of  this  amount  he  at  once  found 
purchasers.  But  he  was  not  yet  con- 
tent with  the  extent  of  his  transactions, 
great  as  they  were ;  nor  would  he  wait 
for  buyers  at  94.  He  offered  them,  viz., 
consols,  at  93,  at  93,  and  eventually  as 
low  as  90,  at  which  price  they  left  oft* 
that  day.  Next  day  he  renewed  his 
exertions  to  depress  the  market,  and  he 
succeeded  to  the  utmost  of  his  wishes ; 
for  consols  did  not  stop  in  their  de- 
scent till  they  reached  74.  As  was  to 
be  expected,  contemporaneous  with  this 
sudden  and  extraordinary  fall  in  the 
price  of  consols,  there  was  a  run  on  the 
Bank  of  England,  which  almost  ex- 
hausted it  of  its  specie.  He  then  pur- 
chased to  so  large  an  extent  that,  when 
a  reaction  took  place,  he  found  that  his 
gains  exceeded  £100,000. 

The  rivalry  of  Mr.  H.  was,  however, 
of  short  duration,  ending  in  this  wise  : 
In  about  two  years  after  the  above  ex- 
tensive "  operations,"  he  attempted  an- 
other, on  a  scale  of  corresponding  mag- 
nitude. But  in  this  case,  Rothschild, 
anticipating  the  tactics  H.  would  adopt, 
laid  a  trap  for  him,  into  which  he  fell, 
and  became  a  ruined  man.  He  was 
declared  a  defaulter,  and  his  name  stuck 
upon  the  blackboard.  It  was  only  now 
that  the  discovery  was  made  that  the 
£50,000  money  stock,  supposed  to  be 
his  own,  was  in  reality  his  father's,  and 
that  it  had  been  retransferred  in  his 
name.  A  deputation  from  the  commit- 
tee waited  upon  Mr.  H.  immediately 
after  his  failure,  at  his  own  house,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Regent's  Park,  when 
one  of  the  most  rapacious  of  the  num- 
ber suggested  a  sale  of  his  furniture  and 
a  mortgage  of  the  annuity  settled  on 
his  wife.  He  received  the  suggestion 
with  the  utmost  indignation,  and  ring- 


252 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


ing  the  bell  for  his  servant,  desired  him 
to  show  the  deputation  down  stairs, 

adding  that  he  would  be (it  need 

not  be  said  what)  before  he  would  pay 
a  sixpence  after  the  treatment  he  had 
met  with  from  them.  "  As  for  you,  you 
vagabond, '  My  son  Jack '  (one  of  the 
brokers  who  went  by  that  name),  who 
have  had  the  audacity  to  make  such  a 
proposal  to  me — as  for  you,  sir,  if  you 
don't  make  haste  out  of  the  room,  I'll 
pitch  you  out  of  the  window  I  "  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  say,  that  "  My  son 
Jack "  was  the  first  who  reached  the 
bottom  of  the  stairs. 


Sharing:  in  Bothschild's  Forttine. 

During  the  stormy  days  of  1848,  two 
stalwart  mobocrats  entered  the  bank 
of  the  late  Baron  Anselm  Rothschild, 
at  Frankfort.  "  You  have  millions  on 
millions,"  said  they  to  him,  "  and  we 
have  nothing;  you  must  divide  with 
us."  "  Very  well ;  what  do  you  sup- 
pose the  firm  of  Rothschild  is  worth  ?  " 
"  About  forty  millions  of  florins." 
*'  Forty  millions,  you  think,  eh  ?  Now, 
then,  there  are  forty  millions  of  peo- 
ple in  Germany ;  that  will  be  a  florin 
apiece.    Here's  yours," 


Extravagant  Business  Rhetoric. 

Defoe,  who  wrote  of  the  morals  of 
mercantile  trade  in  England,  in  former 
times,  mentions  among  other  manoeu- 
vres of  retailers,  the  false  light  which 
they  introduced  into  their  shops  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  a  delusive  ap- 
pearance to  their  goods.  He  comments 
upon  the  "  shop  rhetoric,"  the  "  flux 
of  falsehoods,"  which  tradesmen  habit- 
ually uttered  to  their  customers ;  and 
quotes  their  defence  as  being  that  they 
could  not  live  without  lying.  Add  to 
which,  he  says,  that  there  was  scarce  a 
shopkeeper  who  had  not  a  bag  of  spu- 
rious or  debased  coins,  from  which  he 
gave  change  whenever  he  could. 

The  giving  and  taking  presents,  as  a^ 


means  of  obtaining  custom,  has  become 
a  great  practice.  An  extensive  dealer 
once  remarked :  "  Every  one  of  the  buy- 
ers with  whom  I  deal,  expects  an  occa- 
sional bonus  in  some  form  or  other. 
From  time  to  time  I  have  to  make  a 
handsome  present — ^perhaps  a  dozen  of 
choice  port,  or  else  to  give  a  round  sum 
as  discount.  Some  require  the  bribe 
to  be  wrapped  up,  and  some  take  it 
without  disguise." 

Getting  wide  glimpses  through  small 
holes,  any  one  may  easily  get  an  idea 
of  how  trade  is  carried  on,  even  by  the 
sights  and  sounds  of  the  street.  Hear- 
ing the  fruiterer  cry  all  his  fruit  and 
vegetables  as  "  fine,"  and  the  itinerant 
fish-v6ndor  invariably  describe  his  sup- 
plies as  "  fresh  "  and  "  alive,"  one  might 
infer  the  generality  of  misrepresenta- 
tion ;  and  he  would  find  this  inference 
strengthened  when,  on  turning  to  the 
advertising  columns  of  the  daily  news- 
papers, he  found  all  the  ships  and 
packets  characterized  as  "  splendid," 
"  first  class,"  "  very  fast  sailing,"  "  beau- 
tiful," "  celebrated,"  "  magnificent ;  " — 
when  he  read  of  the  horses  that  they 
were  all  either  "  finest  grown,"  or  "  first 
rate,"  or  "  invaluable,"  or  "  the  hand- 
somest in  town,"  or  "  one  of  the  grand- 
est steppers,"  and  in  every  case  "  sold 
for  no  fault ;  " — or  when  he  saw  that 
all  the  properties  for  sale  were  "  ex- 
ceedingly valuable,"  "  extremely  well 
fitted  up,"  "  most  eligible,"  "  delight- 
ful site,"  "  admirably  adapted,"  etc. ; 
— or  when  he  discovered  that  all  the 
lodgings  were  "  unsurpassed  for  com- 
fort," all  the  medicines  "  infallible,"  aU 
the  references  "  unexceptionable." 

Casting  the  eye  over  shop  signs  and 
door  plates,  and  meeting  with  such 
titles  as  "  mechanical  operative  dentist " 
— implying  that  other  dentists  are  riot 
mechanical  and  operative  ;  or  "  practi- 
cal bootmaker,"  tacitly  referring,  as  it 
seems,  to  some  class  of  mere  theoreti- 
cal bootmakers — one  gets  further  im- 
pressions that  the  screw  which  is  loose 
is  a  verj  large  one.    Add  to  these  the 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


253 


words  "  patent  and  registered,"  applied 
to  commonplace  objects,  implying  im- 
provements where  there  are  none ;  to- 
gether with  the  glaring  annomiccments 
of  "great  reduction,"  "selling  off," 
"  bankrupt  stock,"  "  tremendous  sacri- 
fices," "  twenty  per  cent,  below  other 
houses  " — and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  "  bait "  is  used  as  plentifully  on 
the  land  as  in  the  sea. 


Customs  of  the  Store  in  Ohurch. 

In  a  certain  town,  not  more  than  fifty 
miles  from  Boston,  as  the  clergyman 
was  holding  forth  one  Sabbath  in  his 
usual  drowsy  manner,  one  of  the  dea- 
cons, probably  influenced  by  the  nar- 
cotic qualities  of  the  discourse,  fell  into 
a  doze.  In  connection  with  the  train 
of  thought  characterizing  his  sermon, 
the  preacher  happened  to  use  the 
words,  "  What  is  the  price  of  all  earth- 
ly pleasures  ? "  The  money-getting  dea- 
con (he  kept  a  small  store,  and  had  a 
lively  eye  to  the  main  chance},  half 
conscioiisly,  thinking  the  inquiry  was 
respecting  some  kind  of  merchandise, 
immediately  answered,  "  Seven  and 
sixpence  a  dozen." 


Hoarding:   and  Amassing:— Noted 
Instances. 

There  died  at  Paris,  in  the  year 
1799,  literally  of  want,  the  noted  bank- 
er Osterwald.  He  deprived  himself  of 
almost  every  personal  comfort  and  con- 
venience, alike  in  sickness  and  in 
health,  for  fear  of  encroaching  on  his 
hoarded  treasures.  He  died  worth 
£125,000. 

Another  desperate  case  of  this  kind 
was  that  of  the  mUlionnaire  Elwes, 
whose  diet  and  dress  were  of  the  most 
revolting  kind,  and  his  penuriousness 
almost  passing  beliet  His  property 
was  estimated  at  £800,000. 

Daniel  Dancers's  miserly  propensities 
were  indulged  to  such  a  degree,  that, 
among  his  eccentricities,  was  that  of 
performing  his  ablutions  at  a  neighbor- 


ing pond,  and  drying  himself  in  the 
sun,  in  order  to  save  himself  the  ex- 
travagant indulgence  of  a  towel ;  yet 
the  yearly  income  of  this  poor  mendi- 
cant was  reckoned  by  thousands  of 
dollars. 

The  well-known  Nat  Beatty,  alias 
"  Dirty  Dick,"  of  London,  was  the  vic- 
tim not  only  of  a  craving  for  gold,  but 
even  for  old  iron. 

Another  deplorable  case  was  that  of 
Tom  Pitt,  of  Warwickshire.  It  is  re- 
lated that  some  weeks  prior  to  the  sick- 
ness which  terminated  his  remarkable 
career,  he  went  to  several  undertakers 
in  quest  of  a  cheap  coffin.  He  left  be- 
hind him  a  rich  hoard  in  public  funds. 

Thomas  Cook  afforded  a  precious 
example  of  this  kind.  On  his  physi- 
cian intimating  to  him  the  possibility 
of  his  not  existing  more  than  five  or  six 
days,  he  protested  against  the  useless 
expense  of  sending  him  medicine,  and 
charged  the  doctor  never  to  show  his 
face  to  him  again.  His  property  was 
rated  at  £130,000. 


Jewish   2£oney-Makers  in  the    Holy 
City. 

Some  of  the  Jews  residing  in  the 
Holy  City,  though  they  are  ready 
enough  to  accept  alms  from  their  Eu- 
ropean brethren,  amass  money,  and  are 
no  more  above  a  little  sharp  practice 
than  are  their  kindred  in  Holywell 
street.  "  Dog  ought  not  to  eat  dog," 
is  a  proverb,  but  here  is  a  veritable 
anecdote,  told  by  a  close  observer  of 
the  Israelites  in  Jerusalem,  which 
shows  some  of  their  traits. 

Sir  Moses  Montefiore  brought  with 
him  in  wooden  barrels  a  large  quantity 
of  dollars  in  specie,  and  resolved,  with 
his  usual  kindness  of  disposition,  to 
give  with  his  own  hand  a  dollar  to 
every  poor  person.  It  took  many  hours 
before  his  task  was  done  and  the  mis- 
erable exhibition  of  poverty  concluded. 
It  so  happened  that  the  noble  distribu- 
tor, forgetful  of  himself,  gave  away  the 
sum  which  he  required  to  pay  his  trav- 


254 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


elling  expenses  home.  He  was  obliged 
to  borrow  money.  A  man  was  soon 
found,  who  expressed  his  readiness  to 
oblige  him— /or  a  consideration — and 
supplied  him  with  the  necessary  sum, 
the  amount  of  which  was  considerable, 
in  specie.  And  yet  this  man,  the  pre- 
vious day,  seemed  to  be  the  neediest  of 
the  needy,  and  Tuid  received  a  silver  dol- 
lar from  the  hand  of  the  tenef  actor  of 
Palestine  !    Sharp  practice  that. 

Even  among  the  leading  Jews  of 
Jerusalem,  the  ruling  passion  seems  to 
be  to  pervert  everything — even  charity 
— ^to  their  pecuniary  gain.  Thus,  an 
institution  for  advancing  money  as 
loans  was  founded  by  Mr.  Cohen,  and 
endowed  by  the  Rothschild  family  with 
one  hundred  thousand  piasters.  M. 
Alteras,  one  of  the  Sepharedim,  and  an 
Austrian  subject,  being  intrusted  with 
the  management  of  it,  lent  forty  thou- 
sand piasters  to  the  presidents  of  the 
Sepharedim.  All  of  them  regarded  the 
money,  not  as  a  means  of  benefiting 
others  by  advancing  loans  without  in- 
terest, but  as  a  means  of  benefiting 
themselves  by  lending  it  out  on  usury. 
One  half  of  the  money  thus  advanced 
with  the  best  intentions  was  lost,  not- 
withstanding the  efforts  made  to  recov- 
er it. 


Presents    to    Sank     Ofla.cers— Curious 
Cases. 

In  his  admirable  exposition  of  bank- 
ing in  New  York,  Mr.  Gibbons  gives  a 
few  racy  incidents  in  regard  to  the  ar- 
tifice of  present  making  to  bank  oflBcers, 
and  what  comes  of  such  "  favors  :  " 

A  cashier  asked  a  director  of  the 
same  bank  if  he  could  advise  him 
where  to  purchase  a  certain  description 
of  tea.  The  latter  engaged  to  find  the 
article.  On  the  same  evening,  a  "  quar- 
ter chest ''  was  left  at  the  cashier's  house 
without  a  bill,  and  the  matter  was  not 
again  alluded  to.  The  director  was  sub- 
sequently indebted  to  the  oflScer  for 
some  "  favors,"  which,  however,  did 
not    keep  him  solvent.     A  dealer  in 


fancy  goods  asked  the  same  cashier  for 
his  address,  without  specifying  any 
object.  On  going  home,  the  latter 
found  his  parlor  mantel  furnished  with 
some  elegant  ornaments. 

A  bank  president  inquired  of  a  deal- 
er in  foreign  porcelain,  where  he  could 
best  get  an  English  dinner  set  at  a  cost 
of  not  over  one  hundred  dollars.  The 
latter  answered  that  his  acquaintance 
with  the  wholesale  importers  would 
enable  him  to  purchase  at  a  consider- 
able discount,  and  he  did  so.  The 
president  never  asked  for  a  bill,  but  he 
discounted  his  firiend's  paper  liberally 
"  between  the  Boards." 

Said  a  bank  officer  carelessly,  to  a 
jeweller,  after  serving  him  with  a  loan  : 
"  By  the  way — ^where  is  that  gold- 
headed  cane  you  promised  me  ?  "  The 
jeweller  smiled,  but  said  nothing.  In  a 
week,  the  cane  was  sent ;  and  when  the 
donor  called  at  the  bank,  subsequently, 
he  was  greeted  with  an  expression  of 
great  surprise:  "Why,  Mr.  D.,  you 
didn't  suppose  I  was  in  earnest  the 
other  day,  did  you  ?  " 

Another  officer  called  at  the  store  of 
a  drygoods  merchant,  after  assisting 
the  latter  to  a  liberal  discount  of  paper. 
While  walking  along  the  aisle,  he  was 
attracted  by  some  ladies'  kid  gloves  of 
superior  quality,  "  Ah,'  said  he,  *'  you 
keep  these  articles,  do  you  ?  They  are 
really  very  soft  and  beautiful !  "  "  Yes, 
sir,"  answered  the  proprietor,  at  the 
same  time  wrapping  up  a  dozen  in 
some  fine  tissue  paper — "  put  those  in 
your  pocket.  Yes,  yes,  do  !  "  overcom- 
ing the  apparent  reluctance  of  his  vis- 
itor, by  unaffected  earnestness.  The 
same  scene  was  acted  over  again  on  the 
next  occasion,  when  the  merchant  had 
paper  discounted.  A  third  rehearsal 
taught  him  to  add  a  dozen  of  the  finest 
kid  gloves  to  the  legal  rate  of  seven  per 
cent,  whenever  he  obtained  accommo- 
dation at  that  bank. 

A  dealer,  who  was  impatient  to  rec- 
tify his  accounts,  urged  a  bookkeeper 
to  balance  his  bank  book  ,•  after  wait- 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


255 


ing  several  days,  the  request  was  re- 
peated, and  the  clerk  promised  that  it 
should  be  done:  "But,"  he  added, 
"  you  haven't  sent  me  that  umbrella 
yet  I  "    It  was  added  to  his  wardrobe. 

A  clerk  took  lodgings  at  a  hotel  dur- 
ing the  absence  of  his  family  in  the 
country,  which  led  to  the  landlord  open- 
ing an  account  with  the  bank.  In  the 
"  progress  of  human  events,"  baskets 
of  brown  stout  were  left  at  the  resi- 
dence of  one  of  the  officers,  and  dining 
privileges  were  enjoyed  without  cost. 
The  result  in  this  case  was  a  loan  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars  on  inferior  se- 
curities; and  although  it  was  finally 
paid,  the  process  involved  transactions 
of  questionable  propriety. 

Mr.  George  Curtis,  the  first  cashier  of 
the  New  York  Bank  of  Commerce,  and 
late  president  of  the  Continental  Bank, 
was  occasionally  the  unwilling  recip- 
ient of  "  a  present."  His  well-known 
high  sense  of  honor  and  propriety 
would  have  protected  him  against  all 
suspicion  of  improper  influence  in  the 
administration  of  his  trust ;  but  so  sen- 
sitive and  scrupulous  was  he  on  the 
subject,  that  he  uniformly  placed  the 
article,  whatever  it  was,  in  the  direc- 
tors' room,  and  related  its  history  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors. 


First  Forgred  Note  on  a  Bank— Execu- 
tion for  the  Crime. 

It  is  a  memorable  fact  that  the  Bank 
of  England  had  circulated  its  paper 
with  freedom  for  sixty-four  years,  be- 
fore any  attempt  at  imitation  was  made. 
The  name  of  the  criminal  was  Vaughan, 
a  Stafford  linen-draper,  and  he  was  exe- 
cuted for  his  crime. 

It  appears  that  the  records  of  Vaugh- 
an's  life  do  not  show  want,  beggary, 
or  starvation  urging  him,  but  a  simple 
desire  to  seem  greater  than  he  was. 
By  one  of  the  artists  employed,  and 
there  were  several  engaged  on  different 
parts  of  the  notes,  the  discovery  was 
made.  The  criminal  had  filled  up  to 
the  number  of  twenty,  and  deposited 


them  in  the  hands  of  a  young  lady  to 
whom  he  was  attached,  as  a  Droof  of  his 
wealth.  There  is  no  calculating  how 
much  longer  bank  notes  might  have 
been  free  from  imitation,  had  this  man 
not  shown  with  what  ease  they  might 
be  counterfeited.  But  from  this  period 
forged  notes  became  common.  And 
the  fact  is,  that  the  faculty  of  imitation 
is  so  great,  that  when  the  expectation 
of  profit  is  added,  there  is  little  hope 
of  restraining  the  destitute  or  bad  man 
from  a  career  which  adds  the  charm  of 
novelty  to  the  chance  of  gain. 

The  publicity  given  to  this  strange 
and  easy  fraud,  the  notoriety  of  the 
proceedings,  and  the  execution  of  the 
forger,  tended  to  excite  that  morbid 
sympathy  which,  up  to  the  present 
day,  is  apt  to  be  evinced  for  any  ex- 
traordinary criminal ;  and  it  is  there- 
fore possible,  that  if  Vaughan  had  not 
been  induced  by  circumstances  to  star- 
tle London  with  his  novel  crime,  the 
idea  of  forging  notes  might  have  been 

long  delayed. 

♦ 

Fauntleroy,  the  Executed  Banker. 

The  sensation  produced  by  the 
criminality  of  Fauntleroy,  the  great 
banker  and  forger,  has  never  been 
exceeded  by  that  attending  any  simi- 
lar case,  in  Europe  or  America.  In 
September,  1824,  Plank,  the  Bow-street 
officer,  might  be  seen  proceeding  in 
the  direction  of  the  banking  house  of 
Marsh,  Stracey  &  Co.  A  person 
who  accompanied  him  entered  first, 
and,  requesting  an  interview  with 
Mr.  Fauntleroy,  was  ushered  into  his 
private  counting  house.  Within  a 
minute  he  was  followed  by  Plank. 
The  interior  of  a  bank  is  nearly  sacred ; 
but  the  officer  pushed  boldly  by  the 
clerk,  who  would  have  interrupted 
him,  merely  saying  he  wished  to  speak 
with  Mr.  Fauntleroy.  On  entering,  he 
closed  the  bar,  announced  his  name, 
and  produced  a  warrant  for  the  appre- 
hension   of   Henry  Fauntleroy   on    a 


256 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


charge  of  forgery.  A  deadly  pallor 
passed  over  the  face  of  the  latter ;  he 
was  fearfully  agitated,  and  hurriedly 
exclaimed,  "  Good  God  I  cannot  this 
business  be  settled?"  Plank  begged 
him  to  make  no  noise,  but  to  walk 
out  for  a  few  minutes,  and  they  could 
talk  about  it,  Mr.  Fauntleroy  then 
signed  a  few  blank  checks  for  the'  bus- 
iness of  the  house  with  a  hand  so  un- 
steady that  it  was  difficult  to  recognize 
his  signature  ;  and  said  he  should  go 
out  for  a  few  minutes.  He  was  then 
conducted  to  the  private  residence  of 
Mr.  Conant,  the  magistrate  ;  and,  after 
an  interview  of  the  prisoner  with  one 
of  his  clerks,  Mr.  Freshfield,  accom- 
panied by  Plank,  proceeded  to  the 
banking  house  to  search  the  papers. 

The  search  was  successful.  Docu- 
ments unparalleled  in  the  history  of 
crime  were  discovered.  In  a  private 
room,  a  box,  bearing  no  name,  was 
found.  What  must  the  surprise  have 
been,  on  finding  in  it  a  list,  in  the 
prisoner's  handwriting,  of  forgeries 
which  he  had  committed  on  the  Bank 
of  England,  amounting  to  one  hundred 
and  twelve  thousand  pounds,  with  the 
following  extraordinary  acknowledg- 
ment :  "In  order  to  keep  up  the  credit 
of  our  house,  I  have  forged  powers  of 
attorney,  and  have,  thereupon,  sold  out 
all  these  sums,  without  the  knowledge 
of  any  of  my  partners.  I  have  given 
credit  in  the  accounts  for  the  interest 
when  it  became  due.  Henry  Fauntleroy." 
These  words  followed  :  "  The  bank  first 
began  to  refuse  our  acceptances,  and 
thereby  destroy  the  credit  of  our  house. 
The  bank  shall  smart  for  it."  At  the 
period  of  his  apprehension  he  had  a 
power  of  attorney  by  which  he  would 
have  replaced  the  stock  that  produced 
the  discovery. 

In  a  conference  the  forger  had  with  a 
partner,  he  expressed  great  anxiety  to 
obtain  possession  of  a  "  blue  book." 
Mr.  Graham  searched,  and  brought 
one  with  a  blue  sheet  for  a  cover. 
"No,  no,"  he  said,  "this  is  not  the 


one  I  want.  It  is  a  bound  book." 
Mr,  Graham  informed  him  that  it  had 
reached  the  hands  of  Mr,  Freshfield. 
"  Then,"  said  Fauntleroy,  "  I'm  a  dead 
man,  I  could  have  set  the  bank  at 
defiance,"  This  book  was  said  to  con- 
tain an  account  of  all  his  forgeries. 

The  crime  of  Mr.  Fauntleroy  excited 
intense  and  universal  interest.  Hardly 
anything  else  was  talked  about.  The 
newspapers  teemed  with  anecdotes. 
His  past  life  was  inquired  into.  His 
portrait  was  in  the  windows.  His  be- 
havior was  analyzed.  His  person  was 
described.  The  very  way  in  which  he 
held  his  hat  was  represented.  The 
magistrate  apologized  for  an  intrusion ; 
and,  when  the  forger  heaved  a  sigh, 
the  scribe  was  ready  to  draw  the  atten- 
tion of  the  public  to  so  memorable  a 
fact.  The  loss  sustained  by  these 
forgeries  was  three  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  pounds ;  and  the  interest 
alone,  which  was  regularly  paid,  must 
have  been  nine  or  ten  thousand  pounds 
a  year.  The  care  required  by  these 
accounts,  and  the  constant  anxiety 
weighing  on  the  mind  of  Fauntleroy, 
from  the  knowledge  of  his  perilous 
position,  were,  in  themselves,  a  punish- 
ment. His  exertions  at  the  banking 
house  were  extraordinary.  So  energetic 
was  he,  that  his  services  were  noticed 
as  being  equal  to  those  of  three  clerks. 
The  last  time  he  received  from  the 
bank  the  warrants  due  to  the  firm  was 
the  day  on  which  Thurtell  and  Hunt 
were  tried.  During  the  payment,  he 
entered  into  conversation  on  the  crime 
with  the  clerk  who  paid  him  ;  imagin- 
ing but  little — ^perhaps — that  within  a 
year  the  same  judge  who  had  tried 
them  would  try  him ;  that  the  very 
list  of  warrants  he  was  receiving  would 
be  brought  in  evidence,  and  that  the 
clerk  with  whom  he  was  so  familiarly 
conversing  would  be  a  witness  against 
him.  Before  the  debtors'  door  at  New- 
gate, and  amidst  a  vast  concourse  of 
spectators,  the  unhappy  man  expiated 
his  crime. 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


267 


-  Restitution  of  Bank  Notes. 

On  the  24th  of  November,  1844,  Sun- 
day, the  "  strong  room  "  of  the  bank- 
ing house  of  Messrs,  Rogers,  Towgood 
&  Co.,  London,  was  opened,  and  prop- 
erty in  bank  notes,  gold,  and  bills  of 
exchange,  taken  therefrom,  to  the 
amount  of  nearly  fifty  thousand  pounds. 
The  notes,  of  various  denominations — 
and  of  which  there  were  thirty-six  one- 
thousand-pound  notes — amounted  to 
about  forty-four  thousand  pounds  in 
all,  and  the  gold  to  twelve  hundred 
pounds  ;  the  rest  consisted  of  bills  of 
exchange. 

On  the  day  in  question,  one  of  the 
partners  was  in  the  house  an  invalid, 
and  a  clerk,  whose  duty  it  was  to  re- 
main on  the  premises  during  the  day, 
was  also  in  attendance ;  yet  the  above 
property  was  abstracted,  and  never 
missed  till  the  following  morning, 
when  the  safe  was  opened. 

A  reward  of  three  thousand  pounds 
was  immediately  offered  for  the  recovery 
of  the  property,  and  so  ran  the  offer : 
"  Her  most  gracious  majesty's  'pardon 
will  be  granted  to  any  one  of  the  guilty 
parties  who  will  give  such  evidence  as 
wiU  procure  the  conviction  of  the  other 
offender  or  offenders;"  and,  although 
this  offer,  with  a  description  of  the 
notes  stolen,  which  occupied  three  full 
pages  in  octavo,  was  published  in  al- 
most every  newspaper  and  periodical 
in  the  three  kingdoms  and  on  the  con- 
tinent, no  clew  could  be  obtained  of  the 
robbers,  yet,  after  a  considerable  lapse 
of  time,  and  when  the  circumstances 
had  been  almost  forgotten  by  every 
one  but  the  losers  of  the  property,  the 
bank  notes  were  returned  in  a  parcel, 
directed  to  the  bankers  in  an  unknown 
hand,  and  without  any  comment. 


Tougrh  ^Experience  of  a  Business 
Drununer. 

One  cold  January  night,  the  hospi- 
tably huge  fireplace  of  the  best  room 

of  the  best  inn  in was  surrounded 

17 


by  a  jovial  company,  composed  of  com- 
mercial travellers  and  their  customers 
of  the  town.  The  air  of  solid  comfort 
which  pervaded  the  scene  was  height- 
ened by  its  contrast  with  the  cheerless 
aspect  of  the  weather  without ;  and  the 
complacent  manner  with  which  each 
guest  quaffed  from  his  mug  of  flip, 
and  gave  a  bland  reflection  to  his 
neighbor's  smile,  told  that  the  plear 
santness  of  the  situation  was  not  un- 
appreciated. 

All  were  overflowing  with  jest  and 
story,  but  the  most  amusing  member 
of  the  party, was  a  gentlemanly  look- 
ing person,  rather  smaller  than  the 
common  size  of  men,  and  frank  and 
open  in  his  address.  He  gave  his  name 
as  Morris,  and  (from  remarks  thrown 
out,  as  if  casually,  by  himself,  and  from 
that  fact  alone,  for  of  those  present  not 
one  had  ever  seen  him  previous  to  that 
time)  he  was  supposed  to  be  the  agent 
of  a  new  Liverpool  house.  There  was 
a  rich,  racy  humor,  and  a  power  of  imi- 
tation and  description,  about  the  man, 
allied  to  a  knowledge  of  the  light  and 
dark  spots  in  human  nature,  which 
lent  to  the  stories  that  he  told  a  fasci- 
nation winning  entire  attention.  Iden- 
tifying himself  for  the  moment  with  the 
character  whose  deeds  and  words  he 
was  narrating,  he  would  seem  at  times 
the  artless  Scotch  lassie,  the  Yorkshire 
lout,  the  rude  sailor,  the  querulous  bel- 
dame, the  blundering  Irishman,  chang- 
ing from  one  to  another  with  a  chame- 
leon-like facility. 

But  his  chef-d''ceuvre,  in  this  kind  of 
narration,  was  a  story  of  a  finished  free- 
booter, who  accomplished  much  in  his 
line  of  business,  by  first  insinuating 
himself  into  the  confidence  of  his  in- 
tended victims  in  the  guise  of  a  gentle- 
man. His  personation  of  the  easy  im- 
pudence of  the  gentleman  of  the  road 
was  characteristic  and  excellent.  When 
he  had  concluded,  however,  his  "  free- 
booter "  was  criticized  by  Mr.  D.  (an 
agent  for  a  large  house  in  London,  con- 
nected with  the  coffee  trade),  whose 


258 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


flip  had  made  him  flippant.  He  in- 
sisted that  Morris  had  made  but  "a 
tame  bird"  of  his  hero,  instead  of 
a  "roystering,  rough-handed,  ribald 
rogue,"  as  in  nature,  and  swore  with 
a  laugh  that  he  could  enact  the  high- 
wayman better  himself.  Morris  re- 
joined, in  the  same  good-natured 
way,  that  were  it  not  so  late,  and  the 
calls  of  Somnus  less  inviting,  he  would 
try  a  little  competition  of  the  kind 
with  him,  and  let  the  company  then 
present  decide  which  was  the  better 
of  the  two.  However,  he  professed  to 
think  that  an  opportunity  might  yet 
occur,  as  they  would  probably  meet  again 
on  the  road  at  some  time  or  another.  The 
company  laughed  heartily  at  the  joke, 
and,  drinking  sundry  parting  toasts, 
each  of  which  was  denominated,  as 
given,  the  nery  last  and  best,  retired 
for  the  night.  Mr.  D.  was  fain  to 
maintain  his  equilibrium  by  accepting 
the  arm  of  Morris  to  his  bedroom. 
Before  he  bade  the  latter  a  good  night, 
he  had,  in  drunken  bravado,  defied  all 
the  highwaymen  in  Christendom,  and 
in  confidence  pointed  out  to  his  new 
friend  a  secret  pocket  in  his  coat,  con- 
tai  Sling  a  brace  of  small  pistols  loaded, 
and  a  considerable  amount  of  money 
in  gold. 

In  the  morning,  several  of  the  "  drum- 
mers "  departed  in  their  own  vehi- 
cles. Mr.  D.  was  to  take  a  seat  in  a 
stage,  but  being  invited  by  Morris  to 
take  a  seat  in  his  chaise,  concluded  to 
go  with  him,  as  their  routes  were  alike. 
During  the  ride  of  the  first  few  miles, 
D.'s  good  opinion  of  his  companion 
suffered  no  diminution,  but  it  imme- 
diately fell  below  par,  when,  in  a  lone- 
some part  of  the  road,  Morris  presented 
a  pistol  in  juxtaposition  with  his  head, 
and  begged  leave  to  borrow  the  funds 
then  in  his  possession.  The  altered 
mien  and  determined  look  of  the  man, 
as  well  as  his  own  instinctive  assurance 
that  he  was  in  earnest,  left  no  doubt  in 
the  mind  of  the  poor  agent  of  the  other's 
character.  He  determined,  however,  not 


to  comply  with  the  rascal's  request, 
without  an  effort  to  save  his  money  for 
loans  more  profitable.  With  the  pre- 
tence of  producing  the  desired  funds, 
he  seized  one  of  his  pistols  from  his 
pocket,  and  snapped  it  at  the  head  of 
the  robber.  It  flashed,  but  it  did  not 
explode.  The  quondam  Morris  laughed, 
and  mockingly  remarked,  as  the  other 
grasped  at  the  remaining  weapon,  that 
he  was  obliged  to  him,  but  he  was  suflS- 
ciently  helped,  and  that  the  contents 
of  his  pocket  would  be  equally  accept- 
able, and  much  more  effective,  than 
those  of  his  pistols,  inasmuch  as  the 
last  were  empty — which  was  not  the 
case  with  the  pocket,  that  being 
charged  with  gold.  He  explained 
the  failiire  of  the  weapons  to  dis- 
charge, by  saying  that  lest  accident 
should  befall  the  esteemed  friend 
whom  he  had  the  pleasure  of  address- 
ing, he  had  availed  himself  of  the  in- 
formation given  him  on  the  evening 
previous,  and  drawn  the  charges  from 
both  of  the  pocket  pistols.  In  effect- 
ing this  friendly  measure,  he  had 
noticed  with  great  satisfaction,  that 
his  friend  had  the  wherewithal  to 
make  him  the  loan,  which  he  now 
desired  receiving  without  delay.  As 
his  fingers,  he  said,  were  rather  trem- 
ulous, and  the  persuader,  into  the  muz- 
zle of  which  his  esteemed  friend  did 
him  the  honor  to  blink,  had  a  hair 
trigger,  he  begged  leave  to  suggest 
the  expediency  of  a  speedy  delivery 
of  aU  his  funds.  Mr.  D.  cursed  the 
other's  impudence,  and  with  a  pardon- 
able ill  grace  gave  up  his  money.  He 
also  handed  his  watch  to  the  robber, 
but  it  was  returned  to  him,  with  a 
pathetic  request  that  he  would  keep  it 
in  remembrance  of  the  "  tame  bird." 
The  poor,  plucked  agent  remembered 
his  boasting  of  the  previous  evening, 
and  ground  his  teeth  with  vexation. 

After  Mr.  D.  had  alighted  from  the 
chaise,  he  was  asked  by  his  eccentric  ac- 
quaintance whether  or  not  he  thought 
it  would  be  necessary  to  find  referees 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


259 


to  decide  whicli  was  the  better  high- 
wayman of  the  two  !  Before  he  could 
answer,  the  robber  was  driving  at  a 
rapid  rate  toward  the  London  road, 
and  he  was  left  to  pursue  his  journey 
on  foot.  Poor  D.  never  again  sought 
to  rival  a  freebooter. 


Oovernment  Contractors  in  Bussia. 

It  would  seem  that  American  con- 
tractors for  Government  jobs  are  not 
alone  in  the  patriotic  disinterestedness 
of  their  mode  of  doing  business ;  but 
that  their  equals  in  this  respect  may 
be  found-  even  among  the  rough  and 
grizzly  Russians.    As  for  example  : 

A  certain  quantity  of  well-seasoned 
oak  being  required,  Government  issues 
tenders  for  the  required  amount.  A 
number  of  contractors  submit  their 
terms  to  a  board  appointed  for  the 
purpose  of  receiving  them,  who  are 
regulated  in  tl\eir  choice  of  a  con- 
tractor, not  by  the  amount  of  his  ten- 
der, but  of  his  bribe.  The  fortunate 
individual  selected  immediately  sub- 
contracts upon  a  somewhat  similar 
principle.  Arranging  to  be  supplied 
with  timber  for  half  the  amount  of 
his  tender,  the  sub-contractor  carries 
on  the  game,  and  perhaps  the  eighth 
link  in  this  contracting  chain  is  the 
man  who,  for  an  absurdly  low  figure, 
undertakes  to  produce  the  seasoned 
wood.  His  agents  in  the  central  pro- 
vinces, accordingly,  float  a  quantity 
of  green  pines  and  firs  down  the  Dnie- 
per and  Bay  to  NicholaeflF,  which  are 
duly  handed  up  to  the  head  contractor, 
each  man  pocketing  the  difference  be- 
tween his  contract  and  that  of  his 
neighbor.  When  the  wood  is  pro- 
duced before  the  board  appointed  to 
inspect  it,  another  bribe  seasons  it, 
and  the  Government,  after  paying  the 
price  of  well-seasoned  oak,  is  surprised 
that  the  one-hundred-and-twenty  gun- 
ship,  of  which  it  has  been  buUt,  is  unfit 
for  service  in  five  years. 


Holler,  the  Bicb.  Hercliant  of  I^iirem- 
berg— Fictitiotis  Theft. 

A  PHILOSOPHER  has  said,  "  Take 
away  interest  and  vanity  from  the 
heart  of  man,  and  humanity  is  per- 
fect." A  little  story,  apropos  of  this 
vanity  <5f  our  age,  concerning  an  emi- 
nent German  merchant,  will  not  be 
out  of  place  in  this  volume. 

Heinrich  Heine,  when  very  young,  set 
out  one  fine  morning,  from  Hamburg, 
and  started  for  Germany.  He  arrived 
one  evening  at  Manheim,  enters  the  fau- 
bourg of  the  Golden  Lion,  and  finds,  in 
the  dining  hall,  a  man  with  white  hair 
and  a  respectable  appearance,  digesting 
his  dinner  by  reading  a  newspaper. 
From  time  to  time  he  sighed  heavUy. 
Heinrich  Heine  moved — he  was  very 
young — and  asked  of  the  unknown  the 
cause  of  his  grief. 

"  Ah,  monsieur  ! "  he  groaned,  in 
reply,  and  ordered  a  bottle  of  Johan- 
nisberg.  Our  two  Germans  drank  to- 
gether ;  Heinrich  Heine  renewed  his 
question,  and  the  unknown,  who  was 
continually  sighing,  suddenly  yielding 
to  the  desire  of  removing  from  his 
heart  an  enormous  weight,  said  to 
him : 

"  Listen  to  me.  My  name  is  MuUer ; 
I  am  a  very  rich  merchant  of  Nurem- 
berg ;  I  have  two  hundred  thousand 
livres  income,  an  adorable  wife,  and 
charming  children;  my  health  is  ex- 
cellent, and  I  am  the — most  unfortu- 
nate of  men  1 " 

"How  is  that?" 

"  Ah !  (another  sigh.)  How  to  make 
you  so  terrible  an  avowal!  I  have 
committed  a  crime  in  my  life.  I  have 
stolen ! " 

"  Rich  as  you  are,  what  hinders  you 
from  restoring  the  sum  you  have 
taken?" 

"  There  does  not  a  pass  a  month  that 
I  do  not  give,  in  charities,  in  pious 
works,  the  double,  the  triple,  the  quad- 
ruple of  what  I  have  purloined ;  but 
the  claw  of  the  vulture  does  not  leave 
me  a  moment  of  sweet  repose."  '» 


260 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSIXESS  ANECDOTES. 


"  And  how  has  a  man  like  you  been 
able  to  yield  to  the  temptation  of 
theft  ? " 

"A  vertigo.  I  had  the  honor  of 
dining  with  the  Duke  of  Nassau  at 
his  chateau  at  Biebrich ;  the  prince, 
who  has  a  very  particular  considera- 
tion for  me,  placed  me  on  his  right, 
and  we  talked  during  the  dinner  of 
one  thing  and  another.  "  Monsieur 
MuUer,"  said  the  Duke  to  me,  "  how 
is  Madame  MuUer?"  "Tour  high- 
ness is  too  good."  "And  the  little 
MuUers?"  "Very  well.  But  your 
highness  does  me  too  much  honor." 
The  Duke  de  Nassau  places  me  on  the 
footing  of  a  flattering  familiarity. 

"  Suddenly  I  saw  shining  before  my 
eyes  a  little  gilt  spoon.  What  passed 
in  my  brain  I  know  not,  but  the  mo- 
ment when  the  Duke  turned  his  head 
I  stretched  my  hand  slyly  along  the 
cloth,  took  the  spoon  and  put  it  in 
my  pocket.  This,  sir,  is  what  I  did  at 
the  house  of  the  Duke  de  Nassau." 

And  Mr.  Muller,  who  had  just  finish- 
ed his  third  bottle,  tumbled  oflf  to  sleep, 
and,  in  spite  of  so  much  remorse,  snored 
like  a  bass  vioL 

Some  days  after  this  conversation 
Heinrich  Heine  made  inquiries  in  re- 
gard to  this  man.  He  was  truly  Mr. 
Muller,  a  merchant  of  Nuremberg,  pos- 
sessed of  two  hundred  thousand  francs 
income,  he  was  surrounded  by  a  large 
family,  but — he  had  never  dined  at  the 
house  of  the  Duke  de  Nassau.  He 
had  only  invented  the  fable  of  the 
spoon  to  persuade  the  people  that  he 
was  the  friend  of  the  Duke ;  willing  to 
gratify  his  vanity  by  imputing  to  him- 
self an  act  of  theft. 


Bank  Teller  Filing:  His  Gold  Coin. 

A  NEW  business  crime  was  discovered 
in  1767.  The  notice  of  the  clerks  at 
the  bank  of  England  had  been  attracted 
by  the  habit  of  William  Guest,  a  teller, 
picking  new  from  old  guineas,  without 
assigning  any  reason.     wAn  indefinite 


suspicion,  increased  by  the  knowledge 
that  an  ingot  of  gold  had  been  seen 
in  Guest's  possession,  was  awakened ; 
and  although  he  stated  that  it  came 
from  Holland,  it  was  remarked  to  be 
very  unlike  the  regular  bars  of  gold, 
and  that  it  had  a  considerable  quantity 
of  copper  on  the  back.  Attention  being 
thus  drawn  to  the  movements  of  Guest, 
he  was  observed  to  hand  to  one  Rich- 
ard Still  some  guineas  which  he  took 
from  a  private  drawer,  and  placed  with 
others  on  the  table.  Still  was  instantly 
followed,  and  on  the  examination  of 
his  money,  three  of  the  guineas  in  his 
possession  were  deficient  in  weight. 
An  inquiry  was  immediately  instituted, 
and  forty  of  the  guineas  in  the  charge 
of  Guest  looked  fresher  than  the  others 
upon  the  edges,  and  weighed  much  less 
than  the  legitimate  amount.  On  search- 
ing his  home,  four  poimds  eleven  ounces 
of  gold  filings  were  found,  with  instru- 
ments calculated  to  produce  artificial 
edges.  Proofs  soon  multiplied,  and  the 
prisoner  was  found  guilty.  The  instru- 
ment with  which  he  had  efiiected  his 
fraud,  and  of  which  one  of  the  wit- 
nesses asserted  it  was  the  greatest  im- 
provement he  had  ever  seen,  is  said  to 
be  yet  in  the  Mint,  a  memento  of  the 
prisoner's  capacity  and  crime. 


Ingrenions  Plot  aguinst  a  Banker. 

A  London  banker  was  severely 
grieved  by  the  contents  of  a  letter 
which,  on  a  certain  occasion,  he  re- 
ceived from  a  correspondent  at  Ham- 
burg, the  postmark  of  which  place  it 
bore.  From  the  statement  it  contained, 
it  appeared  that  a  person  most  minutely 
described  had  defrauded  the  writer, 
under  extraordinary  circumstances,  of 
three  thousand  poimds.  The  letter 
continued  to  say  information  had  been 
obtained  that  the  defrauder — the  dress 
and  person  of  whom  it  described — ^was 
occasionally  to  be  seen  on  the  Dutch 
Walk  of  the  Royal  Exchange.  The 
object  of  the  writer  was  to  induce  his 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


261 


correspondent  to  invite  the  party  to 
dinner,  and,  by  any  moral  force  which 
could  be  used,  compel  him  to  return 
the  money ;  adding  that,  if  he  should 
be  found  amenable  to  reason,  and 
evince  any  signs  of  repentance,  he 
might  be  dismissed  with  a  friendly 
caution  and  five  hundred  pounds,  as 
he  was  a  near  relation  of  the  wri- 
ter. 

As  the  gentleman  whose  name  this 
letter  bore  was  a  profitable  corres- 
pondent, the  London  banker  kept  a 
keen  watch  on  the  Dutch  Walk,  and 
was  at  last  successful  in  meeting  and 
being  introduced  to  the  cheat.  The 
invitation  to  dine  was  accepted ;  and 
the  host,  having  previously  given  no- 
tice to  his  family  to  quit  the  table  soon 
after  dinner,  acquainted  his  visitor 
with  his  knowledge  of  the  fraud. 
Alarm  and  horror  were  depicted  in 
the  countenance  of  the  young  man, 
who,  with  tones  apparently  tremulous 
from  emotion,  begged  his  disgrace 
might  not  be  made  public.  To  this 
«the  banker  consented,  provided  the 
three  thousand  pounds  were  returned. 
The  visitor  sighed  deeply,  but  said  that 
to  return  all  was  impossible,  as  he  had 
unfortunately  spent  part  of  the  amount. 
The  remainder,  however,  he  proposed 
to  yield  instantly,  and  the  notes  were 
handed  to  the  banker,  who,  after  dilat- 
ing upon  the  goodness  of  the  man  he 
had  robbed,  concluded  his  moral  lesson 
by  handing  him  a  check  for  five  hun- 
dred pounds,  as  a  proof  of  his  bene- 
ficence. The  following  morning,  the 
banker,  on  depositing  the  money  he 
had  received,  was  told,  to  his  great 
surprise,  that  the  notes  were  counter- 
feit. His  next  inquiries  were  concern- 
ing the  check,  but  that  had  been 
cashed  shortly  after  the  opening  of  the 
bank.  He  immediately  sent  an  express 
to  his  Hamburg  correspondent,  who 
replied  that  the  letter  was  a  forgery, 
and  that  no  fraud  had  been  committed 
on  him.  The  whole  affair  had  been 
plotted    by  a  gang,   some   of   whom 


were  on  the  continent,  and  some  in 
England. 

— ♦ 

Exchanging:  a  Cheese  for  a  Pinch  of 
SnufT. 

John  Ticb,  a  New  Jersey  grocer, 
came  to  Philadelphia  a  short  time 
since,  to  replenish  his  stock.  Com- 
pleting his  purchases,  which  in  due 
time  were  deposited  on  the  docks,  to 
be  shipped  per  river  steamer,  Mr.  Tice 
thought  proper  to  keep  his  eye  upon 
his  goods  imtil  they  could  be  taken 
on  board.  Among  them  was  a  fine 
Bucks  county  cheese,  weighing  about 
sixty-five  pounds,  upon  which,  for 
want  of  better  accommodations,  the 
weary  grocer  seated  himself  as  he 
watched  the  remainder  of  his  property 
on  the  wharf.  While  thus  seated, 
running  over  the  events  of  the  day, 
calculating  the  profits  that  he  would 
realize  on  this  purchase,  and  every 
now  and  then  solacing  his  nasal  organ 
from  a  "  yaller "  snuflF-box,  two  nice 
young  men  approached,  and  entered 
into  conversation. 

"  You  take  snuff",  sir,"  asked  young 
man  No.  1.  "  Yes — couldn't  do  with- 
out it — took  it  for  over  eight  years." 
"  You  use  the  maccoboy,  I  perceive  " 
(No.  2).  "  Yes.  That  suits  me  the  best 
for  a  steady  snuff."  "  Let  me  recom- 
mend you  mine,"  said  the  sharper, 
producing  a  silver-plated  box,  engraved 
with  an  American  eagle  and  two  har- 
poons ;  "  I  imported  it  from  France. 
It  is  the  identical  snuff"  used  by  Mar- 
shal Pelissier  and  the  officers  of  the 
French  army."  Mr.  Tice  said,  "  Cer- 
tainly," and  inserted  his  thumb  and 
finger  in  the  stranger's  box.  The 
moment  he  placed  it  to  his  nose,  he 
was  seized  with  sneezing.  At  every 
sneeze  he  lifted  himself  about  a  foot 
from  the  cheese  upon  which  he  sat. 
While  he  was  doing  this,  sharper  No. 
2  was  carrying  out  his  share  of  the 
programme.  As  Mr.  Tice  gave  the 
third  sneeze,  the  rogue  pushed  the 
cheese  from  under  him,  and  in  its  stead 


262 


COMMERCIAL  AND   BUSINESS   ANECDOTES. 


placed  a  peck  measure ;  and  as  he  was 
sneezing  for  the  eighth  and  last  time, 
the  sharpers  and  cheese  had  disap- 
peared. 

The  grocer  continued  rubbing  his 
nose  for  about  five  minutes  more,  won- 
dering as  to  the  style  of  nose  possessed 
by  Marshal  Pelissier  and  the  oflBcers 
of  the  French  army,  who  took  such 
remarkable  snuff.  By  this  time,  the 
deck  hands  of  the  boat  commenced 
to  load  up  Mr.  Tice's  goods.  Mr.  Tice 
rose  from  his  seat  and  said,  "  Take 
this  cheese,  too."  Deck  hand  said, 
"  What  cheese  ? "  The  grocer  looked 
around,  and  found  that  instead  of  the 
cheese,  he  had  been  sitting  upon  a  peck 
measure.  When  he  understood  the 
manner  in  which  the  exchange  had 
been  effected,  he  was  the  most  excited 
man  of  the  season.  He  offered  fifty 
dollars  to  any  one  who  would  give 
him  an  opportunity  to  fight  the  thieves 
with  one  hand  tied  behind  his  back. 


pay  cash  for  that  com."  Old  Ben 
deliberately  sat  down  on  one  handle 
of  his  barrow,  and  cocking  his  head 
on  one  side,  said,  "  That's  all  true,  Mr. 
Bond.  I  do  want  to  pay  you  the  cash 
for  the  com,  but  I  can't ! " 


Wanting:  to  Fay  the  Cash. 

In  an  interior  town  in  old  Connec- 
ticut lives  a  shaky  character,  named 
Ben  Hayden.  Ben  has  some  good 
points,  but  he  will  run  his  face  when 
and  where  he  can,  and  never  pay.  In 
the  same  town  lives  Mr.  Jacob  Bond, 
who  keeps  the  store  at  the  corners. 
Ben  had  a  "  score  "  there,  but  to  get  his 
pay  was  more  than  Mr.  Bond  was  equal 
to,  as  yet.  One  day  Ben  made  his  ap- 
pearance with  a  bag  and  wheelbarrow, 
and  said,  "  Mr.  Bond,  I  want  to  buy 
two  bushels  of  com,  and  I  want  to  pay 
cash  far  it^  "  Very  well,"  replied  Mr. 
Bond,  "  all  right ;  "  and  so  they  both 
ascended  the  loft,  and  when  the  neces- 
sary operations  were  gone  through 
with,  they  respectively  returned.  But 
by  the  time  the  trader  had  got  down 
and  looked  around  him,  old  Ben  had 
got  some  distance  from  the  door,  and 
was  rapidly  making  for  home.  "  Hal- 
loo, halloo,  Ben ! "  cried  out  the  trader 
lustily ;    "  you    said    you  wanted    to 


A  Rustic  Sargraining:  for  a  Hat. 

A  JOCKEY  country  merchant  was 
trafficking  one  day  with  a  rustic  moun- 
taineer, purchasing  hay  rakes  in  ex- 
change for  goods.  Of  course,  the  mer- 
chant's prices  were  what  are  called  bar- 
ter prices.  Our  rustic  had  need  of  a 
new  hat,  and  inquired  the  price  of  one 
fi-om  a  case  just  opened,  from  New 
York.  "  Only  five  dollars,"  said  the 
merchant.  "  Isn't  that  rather  dear  ?  " 
said  the  customer.  "  I  never  sold  one 
for  less,"  said  the  sharp  merchant. 

The  clerk  in  the  store  inclined  his 
head  to  the  ear  of  a  bystander,  who  was 
listening  to  the  interesting  confabula- 
tion, and  whispered :  "  He  never  sold 
one  at  all."  The  case  was  bought  at 
auction  in  New  York  for  one  dollar  a* 

piece. 

> 

Results  of  a  Career  of  Overreaching:. 

One  who  knew  well  the  late  Gideon 
Lee,  remarks  of  him  that  no  man  more 
thoroughly  despised  trickery  in  trade 
than  did  Mr.  L.  He  used  to  say  that 
"  no  trade  can  be  sound  that  is  not 
beneficial  to  both  parties — ^to  the  buyer 
as  well  as  to  the  seller.  A  man  may 
obtain  a  temporary  advantage  by  sell- 
ing an  article  for  more  than  it  is  worth ; 
but  the  very  effect  of  such  operations 
must  recoil  on  him,  in  the  shape  of  bad 
debts  and  increased  risks."  A  person 
with  whom  he  had  some  transactions 
once  boasted  to  him  that  he  had,  on 
one  occasion,  obtained  an  advantage 
over  such  a  neighbor,  and,  upon  anoth- 
er occasion,  over  another  neighbor; 
"  and  to-day,"  said  he,  "  I  have  ob- 
tained one  over  you." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Lee,  "  that  may  be ; 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


263 


but  if  you  will  promise  never  to  enter 
my  office  again,  I  will  give  you  that 
bundle  of  goatskins."  The  man  made 
the  promise,  and  took  them. 

Fifteen  years  afterward,  he  walked 
into  Mr.  Lee's  office.  At  the  instant, 
on  seeing  him,  Mr.  L.  exclaimed: 
"  You  have  violated  your  promise ;  pay 
me  for  the  goatskins  ! "  "  Oh  1 "  said 
the  man,  "  I  am  quite  poor,  and  have 
been  very  unfortimate  since  I  saw  you." 
"  Yes,"  responded  Mr.  Lee,  "  and  you 
always  wUl  be  poor;  that  miserable 
desire  for  overreaching  others  must  ever 
keep  you  so." 


Keen  Rtise  by  a  Yankee  Peddler. 

Just  before  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, a  Yankee  peddler  started 
down  to  New  York,  to  sell  a  parcel  of 
bowls  and  dishes  he  had  made  of  ma- 
ple. Jonathan  travelled  over  the  city, 
asking  everybody  to  buy  his  wares,  but 
no  one  seemed  disposed  to  buy  wooden 
dishes.  It  happened,  however,  that  a 
British  fleet  was  then  lying  in  the  har- 
bor of  New  York,  and  Jonathan  struck 
upon  a  plan  of  selling  his  dishes.  So 
he  got  a  naval  uniform,  by  hook  or  by 
crook — for  history  doesn't  tell  where 
he  got  it — and,  strutting  up  town  one 
morning,  in  his  assumed  garb,  asked  a 
merchant  if  he  had  any  nice  wooden 
ware;  that  the  commodore  wanted  a 
lot  for  the  fleet.  The  merchant  replied 
that  he  had  none  on  hand ;  but  there 
was  some  in  town,  and  if  he  would  send 
in  the  afternoon  he  could  supply  him. 
"  Very  good,"  said  our  naval  officer — 
and  out  he  went,  and  cut  for  home.  He 
had  scarcely  dofied  his  borrowed  plu- 
mage before  down  came  the  merchant, 
who,  observing  that  Jonathan  had  sold 
none  of  his  wares,  now  offered  to  take 
the  whole,  if  he  would  deduct  fifteen 
per  cent. ;  but  Jonathan  said  "  he'd  be 
hanged  if  he  didn't  take  'em  home  be- 
fore he'd  take  a  cent  less  than  his  first 
price."  So  the  merchant  paid  him 
down  in  gold  his  price  for  the  wooden 


ware,  which  laid  on  his  shelves  for 
many  a  long  day  thereafter.  If  any- 
thing additional  is  necessary  to  be 
said  in  connection  with  this  trade,  it  is 
not — that  Jonathan  trotted  home  in 
high  glee  at  the  success  of  his  ruse, 
whOe  the  merchant  cursed  British  uni- 
forms and  officers  ever  after. 


Trading:  in  Imaerinary  Candlesticks. 

In  1808,  Vincent  Alessi,  a  native  of 
one  of  the  Italian  States,  went  to  Bir- 
mingham, England,  to  choose  some 
manufactures  likely  to  return  a  suffi- 
cient profit  in  Spain.  Among  others 
he  sought  a  brass  founder,  who  showed 
him  that  which  he  required,  and  then 
drew  his  attention  to  "  another  article," 
which  he  said  he  could  sell  cheaper 
than  any  other  person  in  the  trade. 
Mr.  Alessi  declined  purchasing  this,  as 
it  proved  to  be  a  forged  bank  note; 
upon  which  he  was  shown  some  dollars, 
as  fitter  for  the  Spanish  market.  These 
were  also  declined.  It  would  seem, 
however,  from  what  followed,  that  Mr. 
Alessi  was  not  quite  unprepared,  as,  in 
the  evening,  he  was  called  on  by  one 
John  Nicholls,  and,  after  some  conver- 
sation, he  agreed  to  take  a  certain 
quantity  of  notes,  of  different  value, 
which  were  to  be  paid  for  at  the  rate 
of  six  shillings  in  the  pound. 

Alessi  thought  this  a  very  profitable 
business  while  it  lasted,  as  he  could 
always  procure  as  many  as  he  liked,  by 
writing  for  so  many  dozen  candle- 
sticks, calling  them  Nos.  5,  2,  or  1,  ac- 
cording to  the  amount  of  the  note  re- 
quired. The  vigilance  of  the  English 
police,  however,  was  too  much  even  for 
the  subtlety  of  an  Italian ;  he  was  taken 
by  them,  and  allowed  to  turn  king's 
evidence,  it  beiag  thought  very  desir- 
able to  discover  the  manufactory  whence 
the  notes  emanated. 

In  December,  John  Nicholls  received 
a  letter  from  Alessi,  stating  that  he  was 
going  to  America ;  that  he  wanted  to 
see  Nicholls  in  London;   that  he  re- 


264 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


quired  twenty  dozen  candlesticks,  No. 
5,  twenty-four  dozen  No.  1,  and  four 
dozen  No.  2.  Mr.  NichoUs,  unsuspi- 
cious of  his  correspondent's  captivity, 
and  consequent  frailty,  came  forthwith 
to  town  to  fulfil  so  important  an  order. 
Here  an  interview  was  planned  within 
hearing  of  the  public  officers.  Nicholls 
came  with  the  forged  notes.  Alessi 
counted  up  the  whole  sum  he  was  to 
pay,  at  six  shillings  in  the  pound,  say- 
ing :  "  ]!klr.  Nicholls,  you  will  take  all 
my  money  from  me."  "  Never  mind, 
sir,"  was  the  reply,  "  it  will  be  all  re- 
turned in  the  way  of  business."  Alessi 
then  remarked  that  it  was  cold,  and 
put  on  his  hat.  This  was  the  signal 
for  the  officers.  To  the  dealer's  sur- 
prise and  indignation  he  found  himseK 
entrapped,  with  the  counterfeit  notes 
in  his  possession,  to  the  precise  amount 
in  number  and  value  that  had  been  or- 
dered in  the  letter.  Thus  Mr.  Nicholls 
found  his  business  suddenly  brought  to 
a  close,  and  the  brisk  trade  in  imagin- 
ary candlesticks  finished. 


The  Bank  Detectives  Foiled. 

The  desire  of  the  London  banks  to 
discover  the  makers  of  forged  notes 
produced,  on  a  certain  occasion,  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  anxiety  to  one 
whose  name  is  indelibly  associated 
with  the  fine  arts.  George  Morland — 
a  name  rarely  mentioned  but  with  feel- 
ings of  admiration  and  regret — had,  in 
his  eagerness  to  avoid  incarceration  for 
debt,  retired  to  an  obscure  hiding- 
place,  in  the  suburbs  of  London.  At 
one  period  he  hid  himself  in  Hackney, 
where  his  anxious  looks  and  secluded 
manner  of  life  induced  some  of  his 
charitable  neighbors  to  believe  him  a 
maker  of  forged  notes.  The  bank  di- 
rectors despatched  two  of  their  most 
dexterous  emissaries  to  inquire,  recon- 
noitre, search,  and  seize.  The  men  ar- 
rived, and  began  to  draw  lines  of  cir- 
cumvallation  round  the  painter's  re- 
treat   He  was  not,  however,  to  be  sur- 


prised ;  mistaking  those  agents  of  evil 
mien  for  bailifis,  he  escaped  from  be- 
hind as  they  approached  in  front,  fled 
into  Hoxton,  and  never  halted  till  he 
had  hid  himself  in  London.  Nothing 
was  found  to  justify  suspicion;  and 
when  Mrs.  Morland,  who  was  his  com- 
panion in  this  retreat,  told  them  who 
her  husband  was,  and  showed  them 
some  unfinished  pictures,  they  made 
such  a  report  to  the  bank  that  the  di- 
rectors presented  him  with  a  couple  of 
bank  notes  of  twenty  pounds  each,  by 
way  of  compensation  for  the  alarm 
they  had  given  him. 


Sharp  at  a  Trade— Sharper  in  Getting 
out  of  it. 

There  once  flourished  in  one  of  our 
commercial  cities  a  little  French  mer- 
chant, who  was  very  well  known  in 
said  locality,  and  who  himself  "  knew 
a  thing  or  two."  During  the  last  war, 
oar  little  Frenchman  was  doing  a  very 
thriving  business  in  the  drygoods  line, 
and  was  supposed  to  be  a  little  sharper 
at  a  bargain  than  most,  at  least,  of  his 
fellow  tradesmen.  There  also  flourished 
at  the  same  time,  and  in  the  same  city, 
an  importing  merchant,  of  Yankee  ori- 
gin, who  was  noted  as  a  long-headed, 
close-fisted  dealer. 

It  is  well  known  that  during  the  war 
English  goods  were  sold  at  enormous 
prices.  The  Yankee  merchant  was  in 
that  line  of  trade ;  and  a  few  days  be- 
fore the  arrival  in  this  country  of  the 
news  of  peace,  he  received  private  ad- 
vices from  the  continent,  which  led  him 
to  anticipate  it.  As  he  had  a  large 
supply  of  English  goods  on  hand  at  the 
time,  the  prices  of  which  would  of 
course  instantly  fall,  he  set  about  dis- 
posing of  them  as  soon  as  possible  to 
his  less  informed  and  imsuspecting 
customers.  The  little  Frenchman  was 
one  of  his  victims.  After  much  hag- 
gling, and  the  offer  of  a  long  credit,  the 
importer  effected  a  bill  of  sale  of  goods 
to  him,  to  the  amount  of  something 
like  twenty  thousand  dollars,  taking 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


265 


his  notes  on  long  time  in  payment. 
These  he  considered  perfectly  good,  of 
course,  as  his  customer's  reputation  in 
the  money  market  was  unsullied.  The 
bargain  being  consummated,  the  two 
friends  parted,  each  in  a  capital  humor 
with  himself;  the  Yankee  to  deposit 
the  notes  in  his  strong  box,  and  the 
Frenchman  to  his  store,  where,  receiving 
his  newly  purchased  goods,  he  imme- 
diately commenced  marking  them  one 
hundred  per  cent,  above  cost,  thus 
making,  before  midniglit,  to  use  his 
own  boast,  a  profit  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars  on  his  purchase  ! 

Three  days  afterward  the  official 
news  of  peace  came  ;  English  goods  in- 
stantly fell  one  half,  and  our  little 
Frenchman  awoke  in  horror  from  his 
dream  of  cent,  per  cent.  Nine  persons 
out  of  every  ten,  under  such  circum- 
stances, would  have  failed  at  once. 
But  nil  desperandum  was  the  motto  of 
our  Frenchman.  He  saw  that  he  had 
been  Ut  by  his  commercial  friend,  and 
he  immediately  set  his  wits  at  work  to 
turn  the  tables  upon  him.  So,  late  in 
the  evening  of  the  next  day,  he  re- 
paired to  the  dwelling  of  the  importer, 
and  told  a  long  and  pitiful  story  of  his 
embarrassments.  He  said  his  con- 
science already  smote  him  for  making 
so  heavy  a  purchase  while  in  failing 
circumstances,  and  that  he  had  come 
to  make  the  only  reparation  in  his  pow- 
er— namely,  to  yield  up  the  goods  ob- 
tained of  the  importer,  on  the  latter's 
cancelling  the  notes  given  therefor. 
The  Yankee  at  first  demurred  ;  but  on 
the  Frenchman  insisting  that  he  was 
a  bankrupt,  and  that  he  feared  the 
moment  he  opened  in  the  morning  the 
sheriff  would  pounce  upon  him  with  a 
writ  that  would  swallow  up  everything, 
he  finally  agreed  to  the  proposition. 
*'  Half  a  loaf  was  better  than  no  bread," 
he  thought ;  so  the  notes  and  the  bill 
of  sale  were  accordingly  cancelled. 

By  daylight  in  the  morning,  the 
Yankee  was  at  the  Frenchman's  store, 
with  his  teams,  as  had  been  agreed 


upon  the  night  before,  and  every  pack- 
age of  his  goods  ^as  soon  removed. 
The  two  merchants  again  parted,  the 
Frenchman  relieved  of  a  heavy  load, 
and  the  Yankee  rather  down  in  the 
mouth  at  the  result  of  his  trade. 

Two  or  three  days  afterward,  as  the 
importer  was  passing  the  Frenchman's 
store,  he  observed  his  sign  still  up,  and 
everything  apparently  as  flourishing  as 
ever.  He  stepped  in  to  see  what  it  all 
meant.  «  Hallo  !  Mr.  S.,"  said  he,  « I 
thought  you  had  failed  !  "  "  Failed  !  " 
repeated  the  little  Frenchman,  thrust- 
ing his  thumbs  in  the  arm  holes  of  his 
vest,  and  sliding  his  legs  apart  from 
counter  to  counter,  till  he  resembled  a 
small  Colossus  of  Rhodes  :  "  Failed  ? 
No,  be  gar !  Firmer  than  ever,  Mr. 
H. ;  but  I  should  have  failed,  almosht,  if 
I  hadn't  got  rid  of  dem  tamn'd  English 
goods  at  cost ! " 

Coal  Dealer's  Prediction  Fulfilled— 
Perhaps. 

An  English  coal  dealer,  who  was 
notorious  for  his  continual  and  unpro- 
voked swearing,  had  occasion  to  pro- 
ceed with  a  boat  to  a  neighboring  port, 
with  a  cargo  of  coals,  and  ordered  one 
of  his  men  to  take  charge  of  it.  As  the 
boat  was  leaving  the  wharf,  an  ac- 
quaintance civilly  accosted  the  man, 
asking  where  he  was  going.  "  I  am 
going  to  hell,"  he  characteristically  re- 
plied, with  an  oath.  Strange  to  relate, 
he  died  suddenly  before  reaching  the 
port  of  his  destination.  Perhaps  his 
profane  prediction  was  fulfilled;  he 
knows  best. 


Deserved  Reward  of  Blasphemy. 

In  the  strait  between  Johor  and  Rhio 
there  is  a  small  white  rock,  called  the 
"  White  Stone,"  only  slightly  elevated 
above  the  water,  and  so  exactly  in  the 
centre  of  the  passage  that  many  ves- 
sels, unacquainted  with  it,  have  there 
been  wrecked. 

A  Portuguese  merchant  passing  this 


266 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


strait,  in  a  vessel  of  his  own,  richly 
laden  with  gold  4hd  other  valuable 
commodities,  asked  the  pilot  when  this 
rock  would  be  passed :  but  each  mo- 
ment appearing  to  him  long  until  he 
was  secure  from  the  danger  it  involved, 
he  repeated  his  question  so  often  that 
the  pilot  impatiently  told  him  "  the 
rock  was  passed."  The  merchant,  trans- 
ported with  joy  at  this  announcement, 
rashly  exclaimed,  that  "  God  himself 
could  not  now  make  him  poor."  But 
in  a  little  while,  the  vessel  did  reach 
and  struck  on  the  White  Stone,  and  all 
his  wealth  was  in  a  moment  engulfed 
in  the  deep  sea.  His  life  alone  was 
spared,  which  he  spent  in  misery  and 
remorse. 


Friend  Hopper  and  the  Due  Bill. 

Upon  a  certain  occasion  a  man  called 
upon  Isaac  T.  Hopper,  the  Quaker,  with 
a  due  bUl  for  twenty  dollars  against  an 
estate  he  had  been  appointed  to  settle. 
Friend  Hopper  put  it  aside,  saying  he 
would  attend  to  it  as  soon  as  he  had 
leisure.  The  man  called  again  a  short 
time  after,  and  stated  that  he  had  need 
of  six  dollars,  and  was  willing  even  to 
give  a  receipt  for  the  whole  if  that  sum 
were  advanced  just  then.  This  propo- 
sition excited  suspicion,  and  the  ad- 
ministrator decided  in  his  own  mind 
that  he  would  pay  nothing  on  that  de- 
mand till  he  had  examined  the  papers 
of  the  deceased.  Searching  carefully 
among  these,  he  found  a  receipt  for  the 
money,  mentioning  the  identical  items, 
date,  and  circumstances  of  the  transac- 
tion, and  stating  that  a  due  bill  had 
been  given  and  lost,  and  was  to  be  re- 
stored to  the  creditor  when  found. 
When,  therefore,  the  man  called  again, 
Isaac  said  to  him,  in  a  quiet  way  : 

"  Friend  Jones,  I  understand  thou 
hast  become  pious  lately," 

He  replied  in  a  solemn  tone  :  "  Yes, 
thanks  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  I  have  found 
out  the  way  of  salvation." 

"  And  thou  hast  been  dipped,  I  hear," 


continued  the  Quaker.  "Dost  thou 
know  James  Hunter  ?  " 

Mr.  Jones  answered  in  the  aflmnative. 

"  Well,  he  was  also  dipped  some  time 
ago,"  rejoined  friend  Hopper,  "  but  the 
neighbors  say  they  didn't  get  the 
crown  of  his  head  imder  water.  The 
devil  crept  into  the  unbaptized  part, 
and  has  been  busy  with  him  ever  since. 
I'm  afraid  they  didn't  get  thee  quite 
under  water,  I  think  thou  hadst  bet- 
ter be  dipped  again." 

As  he  thus  spoke,  he  held  up  the 
receipt  for  twenty  dollars.  The  coun- 
tenance of  the  pretended  pious  man  be- 
came scarlet,  and  he  disappeared  in- 
stantly. 

♦ 

Bit  of  Tankee  Financiering:   in  Wall 
Street. 

A  liiTTLE  colloquy,  after  the  follow- 
ing fashion,  is  reported  in  the  KnicTcer- 
locker,  as  having  occurred  in  the  count- 
ing house  of  a  mercantile  firm  :  "  A 
man  kind  o'  picks  up  a  good  many 
idees  abeout.  I  lamt  a  few  in  Wall 
street."  "In  Wall  street?"  "Yes; 
'see,  I  studied  it  eout  while  I  was  stage 
drivin'.  I  got  a  little  change  together ; 
didn't  know  where  to  place  it ;  couldn't 
hire  it  eout  hum,  'cause  I  was  pleadin' 
poverty  all  the  time  ;  that,  'see,  wouldn't 
deu :  so  I  goes  deown  and  claps  it  in 
the  Dry  Dock  Bank ;  got  five  per  cent,, 
tew.  Had  a  brother  thair  who  was  tell- 
er. One  day  I  'gin  a  check  for  fifty  dol- 
lars :  all  right.  At  last  thebank got  in 
trouble :  I  had  some  four  or  five  thou- 
sand dollars  ;  I  goes  to  my  brother  and 
draws  eout  my  money — he  pays  me  in 

Bank  of notes.    Well,  I  took  'em 

hum,  but  they  forgot  to  take  ei)Ut  my 
check  for  fifty  dollars.  So  I  goes,  and 
sez  I,  '  I  owe  you  fifty  that  you  haint 
charged  me ;  will  you  take  your  own 
notes  ?  '  '  Sartin,'  says  they  ;  so  I  pays 
'em  in  notes  that  I  bought  at  twenty- 
five  off.  '  That's  a  good  spec,'  says  I ; 
so  I  goes  areound,  and  buys  up  about 
tew  hundred  Dry  Dock  notes.  When 
I  got  to  the  city,  I  couldn't  pass  'em 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


261 


off.  I  tried  a  good  many  banks — no 
go.  At  last  they  creowded  me  off  the 
pavement  in  Wall  street,  the  creowd 
was  so  big,  and  I  stood  in  the  middle 
of  the  street,  and  caWlated.  '  I've  got 
the  idee,'  sez  I ;  '  I'll  come  country 
over  'em.'    So  I  walked  into  the  Bank 

of ,  took  off  my  hat,  and  looked 

areound  as  if  didn't  know  what  I  was 
abeout.  I  know'd  the  cashier;  so  he 
comes  up : '  Sam  1 '  sez  he, '  what  neow  ? 
— ^how's  the  family  ? '  *  All  well,'  sez 
I,  '  but  what's  the  matter  with  your 
banks  ?  I  don't  know  who  to  depend 
on.  Here's  your  neighbor,  the  Dry 
Dock's,  gone,  and  maybe  you'll  go  next ; 
and  I've  got  abeout  five  thousand  dol- 
lars  of  your  money,  and  I  guess  I'll 
come  deown  to  draw  the  specie.'  I 
expect  I  must  a-looked  as  if  I  was 
frightened  to  death ;  for  he  said  to 
once,  *  Deon't  do  that,  Sam  ! '  sez  he ; 
'  you'll  frighten  the  hull  country,  and 
they'll  come  and  run  us.'  '  Can't  help 
it,'  sez  I ;  '  here's  abeout  tew  hundred 
dollars  of  the  Dry  Dock,  and  if  I  don't 
get  the  money  somewhere  before  I  go 
hum,  I'll  draw  on  you  seoon.'  '  Heow 
much  ? '  sez  he  :  '  Abeout  tew  hundred.' 
*  We'll  take  it,  Sam,'  sez  he,  '  and  you 
keep  our  paper.'  'Well,'  sez  I,  'on 
that  condition  I'll  keep  stiU.'  I  guess 
I  made  my  twenty-five  per  cent,  eout 
of  Wall  street  tTiat  time, '  if  I  am  Dutch ' 
— as  the  saying  is  !  " 


Taking:  him  at  his  Word. 

"  Will  you  give  me  a  glass  of  ale, 
please  ?  "  asked  a  rather  seedy-ish  look- 
ing person,  with  an  old  but  weU-brush- 
ed  coat,  and  a'most  too  shiny  a  hat.  It 
was  produced  by  the  bartender,  cream- 
ing over  the  edge  of  the  tumbler, 
"Thanky'e,"  said  the  recipient  as  he 
placed  it  to  his  lips.  Having  finished 
it  at  a  swallow,  he  smacked  his  lips, 
and  said  :  "  That  is  very  fine  ale — very. 
Whose  is  it  ?  "  "  It  is  Harman's  ale." 
"  Ah !  Harman's,  eh  ?  well,  give  us  an- 
other glass  of  it."    It  was  done,  and 


holding  it  up  to  the  light  and  looking 
through  it,  the  connoisseur  said : 
"'Pon  my  word,  it  is  superb  ale—' 
superb  !  clear  as  madeira.  I  must  have 
some  more  of  that.  Give  me  a  mug  of 
it."  The  mug  was  furnished,  but,  be- 
fore putting  it  to  his  lips,  the  imbiber 
said :  "  Whose  ale  did  you  say  this 
was  ?  "  "  Harman's,^''  emphatically  re- 
peated the  bartender.  The  mug  was 
exhausted,  and  also  the  vocabulary  of 
praise ;  and  it  only  remained  for  the 
appreciative  gentleman  to  say,  as  he 
wiped  his  mouth  and  went  toward  the 
door :  "  Harman's  ale,  is  it  ?  I  know 
Harman  very  well — I  shall  see  him 
soon,  and  will  settle  with  him  for  two 
glasses  and  a  mug  of  his  incomparable 
brew  !    Good  mawning ! " 


"Lodging  a  Banker  in  the  Gutter. 

There  is  a  class  of  retail  dealers  in 
London  who  keep  accounts  with  bank- 
ers, but  who  seldom,  or  perhaps  never, 
have  the  privilege  of  the  entree  to  a 
banker's  parlor  or  "  sweating  room." 
(A  banker's  parlor  is  called  a  "  sweat- 
ing room,"  a  significant  term,  as  all  who 
have  been  under  the  necessity  of  ask- 
ing for  "  accommodation  "  will  readily 
allow.)  This  privilege  is  almost  exclu- 
sively enjoyed  by  the  merchants  and 
wholesale  dealers  ;  and  on  this  account 
the  retail  tradesman  scarcely  knows  the 
person  of  the  banker  with  whom  he 
lodges  his  money,  or  the  banker  that 
of  his  customer.  This  ignorance  gave 
rise  to  a  ludicrous  scene  between  a 
wealthy  London  banker  and  a  baker, 
one  of  his  customers. 

It  happened  on  a  certain  day  that 
the  baker  had  paid  in  to  his  account  a 
large  sum  of  money,  and  on  his  retir- 
ing from  the  bank  he  paused  on  the 
step  of  the  door,  and  began  to  reflect 
which  way  he  should  steer  his  course. 
While  in  this  position  of  innocent  un- 
certainty, as  ill  luck  would  have  it,  the 
banker  came  op ;  and,  as  he  could  not 
pass  the  dusty  baker  without  touching 


268 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


him,  and  thus  soiling  his  own  clothes 
— for  the  baker  was  in  his  working 
gear — he  very  haughtily  said  :  "  Move 
away,  fellow."  This  language,  applied 
to  a  trader  who  had  just  paid  five  hun- 
dred pounds  in  to  his  account,  which 
already  had  a  large  sum  to  his  credit, 
was,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  very  irritat- 
ing, and  such  as  the  baker  thought,  no 
doubt,  he  ought  to  resent,  for  Me  re- 
plied :  "  I  shan't  move  for  you  nor  any 
coxcomb  like  you ;  and,  what's  more, 
if  you  give  me  your  lip  again  in  that 
manner,  I'll  put  your  nose  in  the  ken- 
nel." 

The  banker,  not  being,  in  his  turn, 
used  to  such  a  mode  of  address,  still 
authoritatively  ordered  the  baker  to 
move  and  let  him  pass,  or  he  would  let 
him  know  who  he  was.  Words  ran 
very  high.  At  last  the  pugnacious 
baker,  unable  any  longer  to  restrain  his 
passion,  with  one  blow — for  he  was  a 
powerful  man — Icnoeked  the  hanTcer  into 
the  gutter.  The  banker's  fall  shook 
Lombard  street;  but,  unlike  most 
bankers,  who,  when  they  fall,  fall  like 
Lucifer,  never  to  rise  again,  he  did  rise, 
and,  rushing  into  his  banking  shop, 
covered  with  mud,  foaming  with  rage, 
and  followed  by  the  still  bristling 
baker,  eager  for  a  clinch,  he  called 
loudly  for  the  parties  to  fetch  a  con- 
stable to  "  take  this  fellow  into  cus- 
tody." 

The  cashier,  who  but  a  few  minutes 
before  had  attended  upon  the  baker,  to 
his  utter  amazement  witnessed  this  ex- 
traordinary scene.  He  immediately  ran 
to  the  banker,  and  whispered  in  his 

ear :  "  That  is  Mr. ,  our  customer." 

These  few  words  acted  upon  the  excit- 
able feelings  of  the  banker  in  the  same 
manner  as  oil  upon  troubled  water; 
for,  without  uttering  another  word,  he 
retired  to  his  room — which,  on  this 
occasion,  might  with  peculiar  propriety 
be  called  a  "  sweating  room,"  and  after 
a  while  requested  the  cashier  to  calm 
the  belligerent  baker,  who,  in  a  men- 
acing attitude,  was  still  chewing  the 


cud  of  his  resentment  outside  the  room. 
This  the  cashier  soon  effected ;  and  the 
customer  was  then,  for  the  first  time, 
formally  introduced  to  him,  when  apo- 
logies were  mutually  interchanged,  and 
the  banker  and  baker  were  from  that 
day  well  known  to  each  other. 


The  Prince  Regrent's  Wine  and  the 
Confidential  Dealer. 

An  anecdote  is  related  in  TaiVi  Mag- 
azine  of  the  Prince  Regent,  which  gives 
some  insight  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
wine  trade.  The  incidents  of  the  case 
relate  to  how  the  Prince  Regent  had, 
in  a  comer  of  his  cellar,  a  small  quan- 
tity of  remarkably  fine  wine,  of  a  pecu- 
liar quality  and  flavor ;  how,  this  wine 
remaining  untouched  for  some  time, 
the  household  thought  their  master 
had  forgotten  it,  and  to  make  up  for 
this  inexcusable  lapse  of  memory,  took 
upon  themselves  to  drink  it  nearly 
out ;  how  the  prince,  one  day,  expect- 
ing some  illustrious  connoisseurs  to 
dinner,  ordered  this  particular  wine  to 
be  served,  and  thus  threw  "  the  house- 
hold "  into  a  state  of  consternation,  and 
how  one  of  them  hastened  thereupon 
to  take  confidential  counsel  of  a  wine 
Tnerchant  in  the  city,  who  quickly  al- 
layed his  terrors.  "  Send  me,"  said  the 
ingenious  dealer,  "  a  bottle  of  what  re- 
mains, and  I  will  send  you  in  return  as 
much  wine  of  that  description  as  you 
want ;  only  you  must  take  care  that 
what  I  send  is  drunk  immediately." 
This  advice  was  followed,  the  success 
was  complete.  The  Prince  Regent  and 
his  distinguished  guests  (so  the  story 
goes)  were  delighted  with  this  rare  old 
wine,  whose  peculiar  merits  had  been 
so  long  overlooked.  Three  or  four 
times  afterward,  the  prince,  whose 
taste  in  wine  was  exquisite,  ordered 
some  from  the  same  batch ;  and  on 
every  occasion  the  confidential  dealer 
had  recourse  to  his  private  vineyard  in 
his  cellar,  and  "  the  mixture  as  before  " 
was  forthcoming.  This  process  was 
continued  until  "  the  household,"  fear- 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIEa 


269 


ing  a  discovery,  thought  it  prudent 
to  inform  their  royal  master  that  the 
stock  of  this  favorite  beverage  was  ex- 
hausted. 


"  Dummies,"  or  Counterfeit  Show 
Windows. 

It  is  stated  that  the  demand  for 
*'  dummies  "  has  wonderfully  increased 
in  the  large  towns  of  England,  as  weU 
as  on  the  Continent,  since  the  recent 
elevation  and  widening  of  shop  win- 
dows. Though  the  shopkeeper  may 
carry  his  magnificent  crystal  windows 
up  to  the  first  or  second  floor,  as  many 
of  them  do,  it  is  out  of  his  power  to 
conveniently  lift  the  heads  of  his  cus- 
tomers to  the  same  level;  he  conse- 
quently finds  out,  sooner  or  later,  that 
it  is  a  losing  game  to  exhibit  his  perish- 
able stock  at  a  height  of  half  a  dozen 
feet  or  more  above  the  heads  of  the 
public,  and  he  has  recourse  to  the 
maker  of  dummies,  who  can  counter- 
feit any  description  of  solid-looking 
goods,  and  save  him  from  the  dete- 
rioration which  would  befall  genuine 
goods  thus  exposed  to  the  glare  and 
dust,  damp,  smoke,  «&c. 

The  dummies,  therefore,  go  aloft, 
and  economically  fill  in  the  ample 
background,  and,  for  purposes  of  show, 
their  attractive  appearance  enables 
them  to  be  used  about  as  advantage- 
ously as  the  real  article.  They  are  not, 
however,  confined  to  the  window  sole- 
ly; a  young  tradesman  with  a  small 
capital  may  fill  the  major  portion  of 
his  shelves  with  a  "rich  stock  of 
goods,"  by  means  of  dummies,  displa- 
cing them  gradually  by  real  wares,  as 
success  enables  him  to  do  so. 

Pieces  of  linen,  rolls  of  broadcloth  or 
Brussels  carpeting,  splendid  brocades, 
whole  fathoms  of  backs  of  elegantly 
bound  books,  chests  of  tea,  huge  tuns 
of  "  Old  Tom,"  or  real  Jamaica  rum, 
packets  of  patent  medicines,  and  in- 
numerable things  besides,,  are  counter- 
feited with  such  perfect  effect  as  to 
reality  and  beauty,  as  to  defy  recogni- 


tion by  a  stranger— nay,  the  tradesman 
himself  will  sometimes  lay  hands  on 
the  dummy,  mistaking  it  for  a  genuine 
piece  of  goods. 

■   » — 

Smu^g'led  Needles  and  the  American 
Ba^le. 

Somebody  tells  the  following  anec- 
dote, capital  of  its  kind :  In  the  time 
of  the  last  war,  there  were  two  hot- 
headed politicians,  whose  contempt  for 
John  Bull  was  so  hearty,  that,  taking 
their  own  word  for  it,  they  would  not  so 
much  as  eat  with  a  knife  and  fork  of 
English  manufacture,  if  they  could 
avoid  it.  During  the  war,  the  English 
had  possession  of  Castine,  at  the  head 
of  Penobscot  Bay,  and  smuggling  Eng- 
lish goods  from  that  place  into  the 
country  was  extensively  practised.  The 
temptation  was  too  great  for  the  cupid- 
ity of  our  two  republicans,  and  finally 
overcame  all  their  scruples.  I  lived  at 
that  time  (says  the  narrator)  in  an 
eastern  town,  and  one  bitter  cold  night 
in  February,  I  was  called,  at  two 
o'clock,  from  my  bed,  by  two  men 
whom  I  never  knew  before,  to  go  and 
receive  several  loads  of  smuggled 
goods,  which,  by  direction  of  my  em- 
ployer, I  took  into  the  cellar,  through 
a  back  way  in  the  store  where  I  was  a 
clerk,  and  secreted  them  carefully. 

One  of  the  sleighs  was  loaded  with 
hardware,  and  in  crossing  the  ferry 
over  the  Kennebeck,  they  met  with  a 
sad  accident.  The  only  ferry  boat  was 
a  large,  flat  gondola.  When  they  ar- 
rived on  the  opposite  side,  intending 
to  stop  for  some  refreshment,  they 
drove  the  sleighs  out  of  the  gondola, 
except  the  hindmost  one,  which,  being 
loaded  with  the  hardware,  was  very 
heavy,  and  tipped  the  boat  very  much. 
This  was  permitted  to  remain,  and  while 
they  were  regaling  themselves,  the  tide 
rose,  overflowed  the  sides  of  the  boat, 
and  sank  it.  The  goods  were,  of  course, 
wet.  Among  them  was  a  package  of 
sewing  needles,  and  being  accustomed 
to  handling  such  goods,  our  republicans 


270 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


employed  me  to  open,  dry,  and  repack 
them  in  emery,  which  I  did  very  care- 
fully, at  the  expense  of  several  days' 
labor.  Needles  were  many  times  as 
dear  then  as  now,  so  that  the  case  was 
valued  at  some  hmidreds  of  dollars, 
which,  but  for  my  care  and  industry, 
would  have  been  spoiled  entirely.  And 
one  day,  when  a  custom-house  officer 
came  into  the  store  to  search  for  smug- 
gled goods,  I  showed  him  every  place 
in  the  store  except  where  they  were. 
The  goods  were  delivered  out  again, 
and  sent  in  small  parcels  to  Boston  and 
New  York,  for  sale. 

The  pains  I  had  taken,  and  the  value 
of  my  services,  led  me  to  expect  a  gen- 
erous reward,  and  I  congratulated  my- 
self with  the  anticipated  profits  of  fidel- 
ity to  the  trust  reposed  in  me.  When 
the  last  package  of  goods  was  removed, 
one  of  the  smugglers  came  to  me  and 
said,  "  You  are  a  capital  little  fellow ; 
If  I  had  you  in  my  store  you  would  be 
worth  your  weight  in  gold.  Always 
be  as  faithful,  and  you  will  always  be 
trusted." 

Expectation  was  now  on  tiptoe;  I 
would  not  have  given  a  sixpence  to  in- 
sure a  twenty-dollar  bill  in  my  hand 
the  next  moment,  but,  like  most  high 
worldly  hopes,  mine  were  doomed  to 
disappointment.  The  republican  smug- 
gler put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and 
eolemnly  drew  forth  an  American  Tialf 
doUar!  "That,"  said  he,  "is  the  real 
coin,  the  true  American  eagle;  keep  it, 
and  be  sure  you  always  avoid  an  I3ng- 
lishman  as  you  would  an  adder."  He 
took  his  valise  in  his  hand  and  walked 
toward  the  stage  office ;  I  looked  after 
him  till  he  was  out  of  sight,  and  his 
gait,  form,  and  figure,  to  the  smallest 
outline,  are  as  fresh  in  memory  now  as 
at  that  moment  (I  was  then  a  boy),  and 
the  contempt  I  then  felt  for  him  has 
never  been  eflfaced.  I  have  met  him 
often  in  the  streets  of  New  York ;  he 
does  not  know  me,  but  I  never  passed 
him  without  laughing,  though  I  have 
kept  his  secret  to  this  day. 


Throwing  Sawdust  in  the  Eyes  of 
Custom-Hotise  Officers. 

An  ingenious  ruse  was  played  by  a 
wag  who,  before  the  working  of  the 
saline  springs  of  New  York,  made  it  a 
business  to  smuggle  salt  from  Canada 
into  the  "  States."  One  day,  having 
got  wind  that  he  was  suspected,  he 
loaded  his  bags  with  sawdust,  and 
drove  past  the  tavern  where  the  sus- 
picious excisemen  were  waiting  for 
him.  He  was  ordered  to  stop,  but  he 
only  increased  his  speed.  At  length 
he  was  overtaken,  and  his  load  in- 
spected, with  many  imprecations  from 
the  eager  officials,  after  which  he  was 
permitted  to  pass  on.  A  day  or  two 
after  he  drove  up  again,  with  a  full 
load  of  salt,  and  asked,  banteringly,  if 
they  didn't  want  to  search  him  again. 
"  Go  on  !  go  on  !  "  said  the  officials ; 
"  we've  had  enough  of  you  1 " 


SnuiT  Place  for  Bank  Notes,   ti 

A  GREAT  number  of  false  bank  trotes 
were  at  one  time  put  into  circulation 
within  the  dominions  of  the  Czar. 
They  could  only  have  been  imported ; 
but  although  the  strictest  search  was 
made  habitually  over  every  vessel  en- 
tering a  Russian  port,  no  smuggling  of 
false  notes  was  discovered.  Accident, 
however,  at  last  brought  the  mystery 
to  light.  It  happened  that  several 
cases  of  lead  pencils  arrived  one  day 
from  England,  and  were  being  exam- 
ined, when  one  of  them  fell  out  from  a 
package,  and  the  custom-house  officer, 
picking  it  up,  cut  it  to  a  point,  and 
used  it  to  sign  the  order  which  deliv- 
ered up  the  cases  to  the  consignee.  He 
kept  the  one  loose  pencil  for  his  own 
use ;  and  a  few  days  afterward,  because 
it  needed  a  fresh  point,  cut  it  again, 
and  found  that  there  was  no  more  lead. 
Another  chip  into  the  cedar  brought 
him  to  a  roll  of  paper  nested  in  a  hol- 
low place.  This  paper  was  one  of  the 
false  notes  engraved  in  London,  and 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


271 


thus  smuggled  into  the  dominions  of 
the  Muscovite. 


Paxisian  Female  Smuggrlexs. 

The  smuggling  of  game  and  such 
taxable  articles  into  Paris,  under  the 
petticoats  of  women,  has  become  so  fre- 
quent that  a  female  has  been  attached 
to  the  bureau  of  the  department,  in  or- 
der that  she  may  search  under  the  gar- 
ments of  suspected  individuals  of  her 
sex.  Kecently  a  woman — ^known  as  the 
Hottentot  Venus — presented  herself  at 
one  of  the  gates.  The  agents,  who  are 
always  jealous  of  stout  people,  request- 
ed the  lady  with  the  phenomenal  con- 
tour to  stop.  She  refused,  and  pushed 
by.  One  of  the  custom-house  employes 
seized  her,  and  commenced  pressing  his 
fingers  on  various  parts  of  her  fictitious 
body,  as  if  he  were  feeling  to  see  wheth- 
er she  was  ripe.  She  screamed  and 
fought,  and  in  her  struggles  a  partridge 
fell  from  imder  her  skirts  to  the  ground. 
Her  contraband  wares  were  probably 
strung  like  dried  apples,  and  the  escape 
of  the  partridge  loosened  the  whole. 
Down  came  a  quail,  and  then  a  snipe, 
and  then  another  quail,  and  a  wood- 
cock, until  the  woman,  whose  embon- 
point had  now  visibly  diminished,  was 
thrust  into  the  oflSce,  where  the  female 
attendant  of  the  establishment  com- 
menced a  thorough  investigation.  When 
all  was  over,  the  victim  was  found  to 
be  a  very  spare  person,  not  weighing 
over  ninety -five  pounds. 


Smugrgrliner  by  the  Chinese. 

Although  the  Chinese  smugglers  do 
not  precisely  fear  the  mandarin  boats, 
they  always  endeavor  to  avoid  them, 
unless  they  have  come  to  some  agree- 
ment. If,  however,  they  cannot  escape 
being  overhauled,  they  endeavor  to  ne- 
gotiate, and  will  offer  the  mandarin  and 
his  crew  a  curmha  (a  present)  in  order 
to  obtain  permission  to  continue  their 
voyage.    They  do  not  fight  except  at 


the  last  extremity,  or  imless  the  de- 
mands of  the  mandarin  are  too  exorbi- 
tant— or,  what  is  still  more  rare,  unless 
that  functionary  shows  himself  inacces- 
sible to  corruption,  and  will  not  traffic 
his  duties. 


Doing:  Thingrs  on  Shares. 

Here  is  a  case  illustrating  the  work- 
ing of  the  "peculiar  institution  of" 
doing  things  on  shares.  A  happerifed 
to  have  more  pigs  than  he  could  keep, 
while  his  neighbor  B  had  more  milk 
than  be  could  dispose  of.  One  day,  A 
brought  two  pigs  over  and  deposited 
them  in  B's  pen,  saying  that  he  wished 
B  to  keep  them  two  months  and  have 
one  of  them  as  his  share.  B  replied 
that,  as  he  had  plenty  of  feed,  he  would 
keep  them  four  months  and  have  them 
both,  as,  of  course,  that  would  amount 
to  the  same  thing !  A  left,  saying  that 
he  supposed  it  was  all  right,  but 
guessed  he  wouldn't  bring  any  more. 


"Doing:"  and  "Shaving:"  Customers. 

"A  FOOL  and  his  money  are  soon 
parted" — a  proverb  not  founded  on 
fact,  but  a  great  favorite  with  mer- 
chant princes  and  cabmen  on  the  oc- 
casion of  their  having,  in  their  respect- 
ive callings,  succeeded  in  "doing"  a 
liberal  customer.  With  what  gusto 
does  the  "  gentleman "  relate  to  his 
partner,  over  a  bottle  at  his  country 
seat,  how  easily  the  greenhorn  took  the 
bait !  "  An  entire  cargo — ten  per  cent, 
above  the  market  price — said  he  sup- 
posed it  was  '  all  right ' — would  take 
my  word  for  it ;  ha  !  ha !  ha  I — a  fool 
and  his  money  are  soon  parted ! "  And 
listen  to  the  humbler  but  not  meaner 
chuckling  of  the  hackdriver  over  his 
gin  twist :  "  Charged  him  a  dollar  from 
Whitehall  to  the  Astor — forked  over 
the  tin  without  a  word !  A  fool  and 
his  money,"  etc.  The  fact  is,  an  avari- 
cious man  sees  no  wit  in  liberality  or 
open  dealing.  Shylock  began  it :  "  This 


272 


COMMERCIAL  AOT)  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


is  the  fool  that  lent  out  money  gratis ! " 
It's  all  wrong.  A  Wall-street  broker  of 
the  best  reputation  once  said  that  the 
hardest  man  to  "  shave  " — as  he  tech- 
nically expressed  himself — is  a  fool, 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  you  don't  know  where 
to  have  'em ;  you  can't  stick  soft  cheese 
on  a  hook  1 " 


Settling:  a  Question  of  Taste  and  Trade. 

♦Mr.  Jones  was  down  to  'York  once, 
and  being  very  fond  o'  sassengers,  he 
went  into  an  eatin'  shop  to  get  some. 
While  he  was  a-hearin'  of  'em  fry,  his- 
sin'  and  sputterin'  avfaj,  a  man  was 
buyin'  some  of  'em  raw  at  the  counter, 
and  while  he  was  a-tyin'  of  'em  up,  a 
chap  came  in  with  a  fuz  cap  and  a 
dirty  drab  sustout,  and  laid  down  a  lit- 
tle bundle  at  fur  eend  o'  the  counter. 
He  looked  at  the  keeper,  and  see  he 
was  a  little  busy ;  so  he  said,  lookin' 
sly  at  him  as  he  went  out,  says  he, 
"  'Tan't  no  matter  about  the  money 
now,  but  that  makes  eleven  " —  p'intin' 
toward  the  bundle.  Jones  looked  at 
the  bundle,  and  says  he  saw  the  Tiead 
of  a  cat  stickin'  out  at  the  eend,  with 
long  smellers  onto  it  as  long  as  his  fin- 
ger I  He  left  that  shop  'mazin'  quick, 
and  has  had  no  relish  for  the  article 
sence,  tho'  once  so  savory  and  tooth- 
some to  him. 


"Newscloth." 

A  PUBLISHER  in  Greenock,  Scotland, 
having  been  fined  for  printing  news  on 
unstamped  sheets  of  paper — contrary  to 
the  law  in  such  cases — retaliated  by 
printing  on  cloth,  which  is  not  speci- 
fied in  the  act — calling  his  journal  the 
"  Greenock  Newscfc^A,"  in  allusion  to 
the  material. 


Expedient  of  a  Bussian  Miser. 

A  Russian  merchant,  who  was  so 
immensely  rich  that  on  one  occasion  he 
lent  the  Empress  Catharine  the  Second 


a  million  of  roubles,  used  to  live  in  a 
small,  obscure  room  in  St.  Petersburg, 
with  scarcely  any  fire,  furniture,  or  at- 
tendants, though  his  house  was  larger 
than  many  palaces.  He  buried  his 
money,  in  cash,  in  the  cellar,  and  was 
so  great  a  miser  that  he  barely  allowed 
himself  the  common  necessaries  of  life. 
He  placed  his  principal  security  in  a 
large  dog  of  singular  fierceness,  which 
used  to  protect  the  premises  by  barking 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  night.  At  length 
the  dog  died ;  when  the  master,  either 
impelled  by  his  sordidness  from  buying 
another  dog,  or  fearing  that  he  might 
not  meet  with  one  that  he  could  so  well 
depend  on,  adopted  the  singular  meth- 
od of  performing  the  canine  service 
himself,  by  going  his  rounds  every 
evening,  and  barking  as  well  and  as 
loud  as  he  could,  in  imitation  of  his 
more  excusable  beast. 


Boms  and  tb.e  Drownings  Merchant. 

Burns  was  standing  one  day  upon 
the  quay  at  Greenock,  when  a  most 
wealthy  merchant,  belonging  to  the 
town,  had  the  misfortune  to  fall  into 
the  harbor.  He  was  no  swimmer,  and 
his  dehih  would  have  been  inevitable, 
had  not  a  sailor,  who  happened  to 
be  passing  at  the  time,  immediately 
plunged  in,  and,  at  the  risk  of  his  own 
life,  rescued  him  from  his  dangerous 
situation. 

The  Greenock  merchant,  upon  recov- 
ering a  little  from  his  fright,  put  his 
hand  into  his  pocket,  and  generously 
presented  the  sailor  with  a — shilling  I 
The  crowd,  who  were  by  this  time  col- 
lected, loudly  protested  against  the 
contemptible  insignificance  of  the  sum ; 
but  Bums,  with  a  smile  of  ineffable 
scorn,  entreated  them  to  restrain  their 
clamor — "for,"  said  he,  "the  gentle- 
man is  of  course  the  best  judge  of  the 
value  of  his  own  life." 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


273 


One  Cent  with  Girard. 

A  GENTLEMAN  from  Europe  pur- 
chased a  bill  of  exchange  on  Girard,  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  a  tour  to  this 
country.  It  was  duly  honored  on  pre- 
sentation; but  in  the  course  of  their 
transactions,  it  so  happened  that  one 
cent  remained  to  be  refunded  on  the 
part  of  the  European  ;  and,  on  the  eve 
of  his  departure  from  this  country,  Gi- 
rard dunned  him  for  it.  The  gentle- 
man apologized,  and  tendered  him  a 
six-and-a-quarter-cent  piece,  requesting 
the  difference.  Mr.  Girard  tendered 
him  in  change  five  cents,  which  the 
gentleman  declined  to  accept,  alleging 
that  he  was  entitled  to  an  additional 
quarter  of  a  cent.  In  reply,  Girard  ad- 
mitted the  fact,  but  informed  him  that 
it  was  not  in  his  power  to  comply,  as 
the  Government  had  neglected  to  pro- 
vide the  fractional  coin  in  question, 
and  returned  the  gentleman  the  six- 
cent  piece,  reminding  him,  however,  in 
unmistakable  language,  that  he  must 
still  consider  him  his  debtor  for  the 
balance  unpaid — the  one  cent. 


Besolving:  to  be  Rich. 

"  I  MEAN  to  be  a  rich  man,  cost  what 
it  may.  A  man  is  nothing  in  the  world 
without  wealth.  With  plenty  of  money 
he  is  everything.  I  mean  to  get  rich, 
anyhow." 

This  was  the  soliloquy  of  a  young 
merchant,  who,  with  a  small  capital, 
had  recently  established  himself  in 
business.  He  made  a  stern  resolve  to 
be  rich,  and  having  great  perseverance, 
he  went  busily  to  work  in  the  execu- 
tion of  his  project. 

Everything  was  made  subordinate  to 
the  realization  of  his  golden  vision. 
Ease  and  pleasure  were  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. Domestic  enjoyments  were  of  no 
account.  The  merchant's  brow  ached 
with  incessant  care ;  his  heart  chilled 
and  warmed  with  the  rise  and  fall  of 
the  markets ;  the  changes  of  commerce 
18 


shaped  his  dreams ;  money  was  his  su- 
perlative idea.  He  had  time  for  nothing 
but  business.  In  vain  did  his  wife  lan- 
guish under  the  weight  of  her  domestic 
cares.  He  had  no  time  to  imbend  him- 
self at  home,  and  contribute  to  the  bliss 
of  his  little  world  there.  Neither  could 
he  bestow  attention  to  the  wants  of  the 
world,  nor  the  miseries  of  his  fellow 
creatures  around  him.  All  calls  were 
vain,  for  our  merchant  had  neither  eyes 
nor  ears  for  aught  but  mammon. 

After  many  years  of  toil  and  care — 
after  enduring  anxieties  and  labors 
suflScient  to  wear  out  his  over-taxed 
energies — he  had  reached  the  goal. 
The  merchant  had  grown  rich — so  rich 
that  he  could  forsake  the  counting 
room,  and  live  with  princely  splendor 
in  a  palace-like  home  ! 

This  was  the  fulfilled  vision  of  his 
youth.  He  had  sought  gold,  and  his 
massive  coffers  did,  indeed,  sweat  be- 
neath the  weight  of  their  glittering  load ; 
and  when  men  passed  him,  they  said, 

"  That  is  old  ,  the  millionnaire." 

Was  the  prize  worth  what  it  cost  ? 
Thirty  years  of  sacrifice  had  been  de- 
voted to  its  pursuit !  During  that  pe- 
riod, true  enjoyment  had  been  a  stran- 
ger to  his  heart ;  how  could  it  be 
otherwise?  For  thirty  years  he  had 
not  had  time  to  be  happy — he  had  sur- 
rendered all  this  for  the  expected  advan- 
tage of  future  wealth  1  He  had  literally 
sold  these  for  gold  !  He  had  his  prize. 
,  The  merchant  had  not  been  many 
months  out  of  the  counting  room  be- 
fore his  mind,  missing  the  stimulus  of 
business,  began  to  prey  upon  itself 
For  intellectual  and  philanthropic  pur- 
suits it  had  no  sort  of  relish ;  they  had 
been  avoided  so  long  for  want  of  time, 
for  the  sake  of  the  money  god,  that 
they  would  not  now  afford  any  satis- 
faction. Without  occupation,  the  mer- 
chant's life  became  a  blank.  His  mind 
sank  into  weakness,  his  memory  faUed, 
his  energies  dried  up ;  first  he  sank  into 
the  imbecility  of  second  childhood,  and 
then  into  the  stupidity  of  an  idiot. 


274 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


They  carried  him  to  the  asylum  of 
departed  intellect,  and  there,  ever  talk- 
ing of  notes  and  ships,  his  soiilless  eyes 
gazing  into  vacancy,  his  fingers  tracing 
figures  in  the  air,  the  at  last  "  success- 
ful" merchant  ended  his  days  with 
maniacs  and  fools,  and  the  treasures 
which  he  had  heaped  up  were  gathered 
and  enjoyed  by  others.    This  is  no  fen- 

cy  sketch. 

— t — 

Hard  Philosophy  of  an  Annuity 
UongreT. 

AuDLET,  the  old  English  banker, 
usurer,  and  what  not,  was  equally 
ready  to  lend  money  to  the  gay  gallants 
of  the  town  on  armuities,  as  he  was  to 
receive  it  from  the  thrifty  poor  who 
took,  on  "  the  security  of  the  great 
Audley,"  the  savings  of  their  youth  to 
secure  an  annuity  for  their  age.  But 
needy  as  the  youngsters  of  that  day 
might  be,  the  usurer  was  as  willing  as 
they  were  needy.  He  -lent  them,  how- 
ever, with  affected  remonstrances  on 
their  extravagance,  and  took  the  cash 
they  paid  him  with  a  well-feigned  air 
of  paternal  regret.  His  money  bred. 
He  formed  temporary  partnerships  with 
the  stewards  of  country  gentlemen,  and 
having,  by  the  aid  of  the  former,  gulled 
the  latter,  finished  by  smartly  cheating 
the  associates  who  had  assisted  him  to 
his  prey. 

The  annuity  monger  was  also  a  phi- 
losopher. He  never  pressed  for  his  debts 
when  he  knew  they  were  safe.  When 
one  of  his  victims,  mistakenly  assuming 
Audley  to  possess  a  conscience,  asked 
him  where  it  was,  he  replied,  "  We 
moneyed  people  must  balance  accounts. 
If  you  don't  pay  me  my  annuity,  you 
cheat  me;  if  you  do,  I  cheat  you," 
He  said  his  deeds  were  his  children, 
which  nourished  best  by  sleeping. 

His  word  was  his  bond,  as  many 
could  testify  to  their  sorrow ;  his  hour 
was  punctual,  striking  terror  to  the  un- 
prepared ;  his  opinions  were  compressed 
and  sound.  In  his  time  he  was  called 
"  the  great  Audley,"  "  old  Audley,"  &c. ; 


and  though  the  fathers  of  the  church 
proclainied  the  sin  of  usury  to  be  the 
original  sin,  he  smiled  at  their  asser- 
tions, and  went  on  his  golden  way  re- 
joicing. As  his  wealth  increased,  he 
put  himself  in  a  position  where  his  an- 
nuity jobbing  increased — an  office  in 
the  Court  of  Wards — the  entire  for- 
tunes of  the  wards  of  Chancery  being 
under  his  control. 

When  he  quarrelled  with  one  who 
disputed  the  payment  of  an  annuity, 
and  who,  to  prove  his  resisting  power, 
showed  and  shook  his  money  bags, 
Audley  sarcastically  asked  "whether 
they  had  any  bottom  ?  "  The  exulting 
possessor  answered  in  the  affirmative. 
"  In  that  case,"  replied  Audley,  "  I  care 
not,  for  in  my  office  I  have  a  constant 
spring,"  Here,  indeed,  he  pounced 
upon  encumbrances  which  lay  upon  es- 
tates ;  he  prowled  about  to  discover  the 
cravings  of  their  owners,  and  this  he 
did  to  such  purpose  that,  when  asked 
what  was  the  value  of  his  office,  he  re- 
plied, "  Some  thousands  of  pounds  to 
any  one  who  wishes  to  get  to  heaven 
immediately ;  twice  as  much  to  him 
who  does  not  mind  being  in  purga- 
tory ;  and  nobody  knows  what  to  him 
who  will  adventure  to  go  to  hell." 
Charity  forbids  a  guess  as  to  which  of 
these  .places  Audley  himself  went. 


Old-School  Honey  Jobbers. 

The  old  English  money  brokers  had 
arts  peculiar  to  their  day.  They  had  a 
walk  upon  the  Exchange  devoted  to 
the  funds  of  the  East  India  and  other 
great  corporations,  and  many  of  the 
terms  now  in  vogue  among  the  initi- 
ated arose  from  their  dealings  with 
that  description  of  stock.  Jobbing  in 
the  great  chartered  corporations  was 
thoroughly  imderstood — reports  and 
rumors  were  as  plentiful  and  well-man- 
aged as  now.  No  sooner  was  it  known 
that  one  of  the  fine  vessels  of  the  East 
India  Company,  laden  with  gold  and 
jewels  from  the  East,  was  on  its  way, 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


275 


than  every  method  was  had  recourse  to. 
Men  were  employed  to  whisper  of  hur- 
ricanes which  had  sunk  the  well-stored 
ship ;  of  quicksands  which  had  swal- 
lowed her  up ;  of  war,  which  had  com- 
menced when  peace  was  unbroken ;  or 
of  peace  being  concluded  when  things 
were  actually  in  the  utmost  danger. 

Nor  were  the  brains  of  the  specula- 
tors less  capable  than  now.  If  at  the 
present  day  an  English  banker  conde- 
scends to  raise  a  railway  or  other  kind 
of  bubble  fifty  per  cent.,  the  broker  or 
money  jobber  of  that  day  imderstood 
his  craft  sufficiently  to  cause  a  varia- 
tion in  the  price  of  East  India  stock  of 
two  hundred  and  sixty-three  per  cent ! 
Everything  which  could  inflate  the 
hopes  of  the  schemer,  was  brought  into 
operation  by  the  brokers.  If  shares 
were  dull,  they  jobbed  in  the  funds,  or 
tried  exchequer  bills;  and  if  these 
failed,  rather  than  remain  idle,  they 
dealt  in  bank  notes  at  forty  per  cent, 
discount. 

Sober  citizens  were  entangled  as 
well  as  the  more  adventurous.  Their 
first  impulse  was  to  laugh  at  the  sto- 
ries currently  circulated  of  fortunes 
lost  and  won ;  but  when  they  saw  men 
who  were  yesterday  threadbare  pass 
them  to-day  in  their  carriages — when 
they  saw  wealth  which  it  took  their 
plodding  industry  years  of  patient  la- 
bor to  acquire,  won  by  others  in  a  few 
weeks — unable  to  resist  the  temptation, 
the  greatest  merchants  deserted  their 
regular  vocations  for  these  more  glitter- 
ing avenues  to  fortune. 

These  jobbers  came  from  all  classes 
of  society,  and  those  who  won  were  at 
once  on  a  par  with  the  nobility.  As  an 
illustration  of  these  ups  and  downs,  it 
is  related  that  a  worthy  Quaker,  a 
watchmaker  by  trade,  having  success- 
fully speculated  in  the  shares  and 
funds,  was  of  sufficient  importance  to 
invite  to  the  marriage  feast  of  his 
daughter  such  guests  as  the  Duchess 
of  Marlborough  and  the  Princess  of 
"Wales,  who,  with  three  hundred  others 


of  "  the  quality,"  graced  the  wedding 
entertainment. 


SCakingr  a  Oood^Job  of  It. 

A  WOKKMAN  recently  purchased,  in 
a  small  provincial  town  of  Germany, 
ten  pounds  of  powdered  sugar ;  but  on 
examining  it,  he  found  that  the  grocer 
had  generously  mixed  with  it  at  least  a 
pound  of  lime.  On  the  succeeding  day 
he  advertised  as  follows  in  the  public 
prints :  "  Should  the  grocer  who  sold 
me  a  poimd  of  lime  along  with  nine 
pounds  of  sugar,  not  bring  to  me  the 
pound  he  cheated  me  of,  I  shall  forth- 
with disclose  his  name  in  the  papers." 
The  next  day  the  customer  received 
nine  pounds  of  sugar  from  several  dif- 
ferent grocers  who  had  similar  actions 
on  their  conscience,  and  feared  publici- 
ty. The  customer  was  so  well  satis- 
fied, that  at  last  accounts  he  was  mak- 
ing a  vigorous* examination  of  his  re- 
cent supplies  of  cofiee,  spices,  etc.,  and 
the  prospect  was  that  he  would  soon  be 
performing  among  the  grocers  what  the 
bull  enacted  in  the  crockery  shop. 


French  Usurers  and  Pigreons. 

The  chronicles  of  the  French  money 
and  credit  system  partake  of  that 
piquancy  which  might  naturally  be 
looked  for  among  such  a  lively  race. 
There  are  usurers,  courtiers,  pigeons, 
&c.,  &c.,  almost  without  number.  But 
the  usurer  never  sees  the  pigeon,  or  very 
rarely.  He  is  banker,  count,  minister 
of  state,  director  of  theatres,  lives  in  a 
grand  hotel  of  his  own,  gives  dinners 
to  princes,  dresses  superbly  d  la  mode, 
and  is  far  above  the  acquaintance  of  a 
mere  pigeon.  This  he  leaves  to  the 
courtier,  a  genteel  and  knowing  per- 
sonage, who  deals  in  everything.    He 

tells  the  pigeon  that  if  M.  ,  not 

being  inclined  to  part  with  his  ready 
money,  can  only  give  wine  or  furniture 
in  exchange  for  the  bill,  he,  the  cour- 
tier, will  undertake  the  sale,  and  this 


276 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


he  does,  upon  occasion.  But  in  the 
majority  of  instances,  wine,  furniture, 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  old  story,  is  a 
mere  pretence.   / 

The  pigeon  proposes  a  bill.  The 
agent,  or  faiseur,  goes  to  the  banker 
and  gets  it  done  at  fifty  per  cent,  in 
ready  money.  He  returns  to  the  pi- 
geon, says  that  the  bUl  is  discounted, 
but  that  the  price  is  given  in  goods, 
which  he  will  not  undertake  to  sell.  In 
two  or  three  days  he  returns  with  the 
story  that  the  goods  are  not  to  be  sold. 
The  pigeon  is  impatient.  The  faiseur 
then  oflfers  to  take  the  goods  at  his  own 
risk,  at  a  discount.  This  the  pigeon  is 
only  too  glad  to  do,  and  gets  one  half 
of  the  money  which  was  received  by  the 
faiseur— just  one  quarter  of  his  bill. 
The  faiseur  gets  the  other  half,  without 
any  risk  whatever ;  and  in  half  an  hour 
is  to  be  seen  trotting  down  the  Rue 
Vivienne,  eager  for  the  excitement  of 
the  new  loan  or  the  latest  scheme. 

Instances  are  known  where  the  pigeon 
has  taken  a  horse  for  a  note  of  a  thou- 
sand francs.  The  horse  remains  in  the 
stable  of  the  courtier,  who  in  a  few 
days  sends  in  the  bill  for  its  keep — 
thirty  francs.  The  pigeon  orders  the 
horse  to  be  sold  at  auction.  It  fetches 
twenty-seven  francs !  All  the  pigeon 
gets  by  the  transaction  is  the  pleasure 
of  paying  three  francs  ready  money, 
and  the  bUl,  when  it  becomes  due.  In 
another  case,  a  young  man  is  known  to 
have  signed  a  note  of  twenty-eight 
thousand  francs ;  he  was  credited  in 
return  with  sixty  thousand  blocks  of 
marble,  eleven  thousand  mouse  traps,  six 
thousand  iron  rods,  and  three  thousand 
francs  in  money.  The  marble  remained 
in  the  quarry ;  no  one  would  buy  it  in 
situ,  or  advance  the  large  sum  necessary 
to  remove  it.  The  mouse  traps  and  the 
rods  sold  for  about  one  thousand  francs, 
and  the  pigeon  was  finally  credited  four 
thousand  francs,  of  which  he  received 
about  half,  the  courtier  pocketing  the 
rest. 


Imitating:  Signatiires. 

The  imitation  of  signatures  with  in- 
conceivable accuracy  was  a  quality 
possessed  by  John  Mathison,  an  Eng- 
lish mechanic,  and  probably  never  sur- 
passed by  any  one  in  any  country  or 
age.  Tempted  by  the  hope  of  sudden 
wealth,  he  applied  this  faculty  to  the 
forging  of  bank  notes,  which,  being 
discovered,  a  reward  was  offered,  with 
a  description  of  his  person,  and  he  es- 
caped to  Scotland.  There,  scorning  to 
let  his  wonderful  talent  lie  idle,  he 
counterfeited  the  notes  of  the  Royal 
Bank  of  Scotland,  amused  himself  by 
negotiating  them  during  a  pleasure 
excursion  through  the  country,  and 
reached  London,  supported  by  his  imi- 
tative talent.  Here  a  fine  sphere  open- 
ed for  his  genius,  which  was  so  active, 
that  in  twelve  days  he  had  bought  the 
copper,  engraved  it,  fabricated  notes, 
forged  the  watermark,  printed,  and 
negotiated  several.  When  he  had  a 
sufficient  number,  he  travelled  from 
one  end  of  the  kingdom  to  the  other, 
disposing  of  them.  Having  been  in 
the  habit  of  procuring  notes  from  the 
bank — ^the  more  accurately  to  copy 
them — ^he  chanced  to  be  there  when  a 
clerk  from  the  excise  office  paid  in  sev- 
en thousand  guineas,  one  of  which  was 
scrupled.  Mathison,  from  a  distance, 
said  it  was  a  good  one.  "  Then,"  said 
the  bank  clerk,  on  the  trial,  "  I  recol- 
lected him." 

The  frequent  visits  of  Mathison,  who 
was  very  incautious,  together  with 
other  circumstances,  created  some  sus- 
picion that  he  might  be  connected 
with  those  notes,  which,  since  his  first 
appearance,  had  been  presented  at  the 
bank.  On  another  occasion,  when 
Mathison  was  there,  a  forged  note  of 
his  own  was  presented,  and  the  teller, 
half  in  jest  and  half  in  earnest,  charged 
Maxwell — the  name  by  which  he  was 
known — ^with  some  knowledge  of  the 
forgeries.  Further  suspicion  was  ex- 
cited, and  directions  were  given  to  de- 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


277 


tain  him  at  some  future  period.  The 
following  day,  the  teller  was  informed 
that  "  his  friend  Maxwell,"  as  he  was 
styled  ironically,  was  in  Comhill.  The 
clerk  instantly  went,  and  under  the 
pretence  of  having  paid  Mathison  a 
guinea  too  much  on  a  pre\dou3  occa- 
sion, and  of  losing  his  situation  if  the 
mistake  were  not  rectified  by  the 
books,  induced  him  to  return  with 
him  to  the  hall ;  from  which  place  he 
was  taken  before  the  directors.  To  all 
the  inquiries  he  replied,  "He  had  a 
reason  for  declining  to  answer.  He 
was  a  citizen  of  the  world,  and  knew 
not  how  he  had  come  into  it,  or  how 
he  should  go  out  of  it."  Being  de- 
tained during  a  consultation  with  the 
bank  solicitor,  he  suddenly  jumped  out 
of  the  window.  On  being  taken  and 
asked  his  motive,  if  innocent,  he  said 
"  it  was  his  humor." 

In  the  progress  of  the  inquiry,  the 
Darlington  paper,  containing  his  de- 
scription, was  read  to  him,  when  he 
turned  pale,  burst  into  tears,  and  say- 
ing he  was  a  dead  man,  added,  "  now 
I  will  confess  all."  He  was,  indeed, 
found  guilty  only  on  his  own  acknowl- 
edgment, which  stated  he  could  accom- 
plish the  whole  of  a  note  in  one  day. 
It  was  asserted  at  the  time,  that,  had  it 
not  been  for  this  confession,  he  could 
not  have  been  convicted.  He  offered 
to  explain  the  secret  of  his  discovery 
of  the  water-mark,  provided  the  corpo- 
ration would  spare  his  life;  but  his 
proposal  was  rejected,  and  he  paid  the 
penalty  of  his  crime. 


Bad  Sank  Sill. 
A  ciTT  journal,  describing  a  new 
counterfeit  bank  bUl,  says  the  vignette 
is  "  cattle  and  hogs,  with  a  church  far 
in  the  distance."  A  good  illustration 
of  the  world! 

.    Selling:  a  Bad  Article. 

At  a  business  meeting  of  one  of  the 
Methodist  churches   in   Philadelphia, 


not  long  since,  a  rare  incident  occurred, 
as  showing  the  relation  which  a  man's 
business  may  sustain  toward  his  stand- 
ing as  a  church  member.  The  question 
on  the  tapis,  among  the  oflBcial  members 
of  said  church,  was  to  find  a  suitable 
man  to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  board  of 
trustees.  A  gentleman  in  business  as  a 
wholesale  grocer  was  named  by  a  mem- 
ber present  as  a  very  suitable  man  for 
the  place;  but  his  nomination  was 
vehemently  opposed  by  another  broth- 
er, who  was  very  zealous  in  the  tem- 
perance cause,  on  the  ground  that  in 
the  way  of  his  business  he  sold  liquor. 
And  appealing  to  Brother  A.,  one  of 
the  oldest  members  present,  who,  from 
his  solid  and  clerical  look,  was  called 
"  the  Bishop,"  he  said,  "  What  do  you 
say.  Brother  A.  ?  " 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Brother  A.,  looking 
very  grave,  drawing  up  his  cane  with 
a  view  to  emphasize  and  give  point  to 
what  he  had  to  say,  "  that  is  not  the 
worst  of  it"  (solemn  shake  of  the 
head)  ;  "  that  is  not  the  worst  of  it  I " 

"  Why,  Brother  A.,"  said  the  others, 
crowding  around  and  looking  for  some 
astounding  developments,  "  what  else  is 
there  ? " 

"  Why,"  said  Brother  A.,  bringing 
down  his  cane  with  a  rap,  "  he  don't 
keep  a  good  article — I've  tried  it ! " 


Prejadice  against  Tankee  Clock  Ped- 
dlers, and  how  it  was  Overcome. 

Neab  one  of  the  rural  villages  in 
Ohio  there  dwelt,  a  few  years  since,  an 
elderly  gentleman,  who  went  by  the 
familiar  name  of  "Uncle  Jonathan." 
He  was  a  rigid  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  sober,  exemplary,  and  withal, 
possessed  of  considerable  wealth.  Like 
many  of  his  neighbors  in  that  region 
of  the  coimtry,  he  entertained  a  bitter 
prejudice  toward  "Yankees;"  and, 
notwithstanding  his  piety,  he  had 
avowed  his  intention  of  kicking  out 
of  his  door  the  first  Yankee  clock-ped- 
dler that  should  enter. 


278 


COMMERCIAL   AND   BUSINESS   ANECDOTES. 


One  sultry  day  in  summer  a  covered 
■wagon  was  drawn  up  to  his  gate;  a 
keen-eyed,  gaunt-looking  individual 
alighted,  and  rapping  softly  at  the 
door,  requested,  in  subdued  tones,  a 
drink  of  water.  After  drinking,  the 
traveller  asked  permission  of  the  old 
gentleman  to  sit  and  rest  for  a  few 
minutes,  saying  he  was  overcome  by 
the  heat.  The  stranger  said  but  little, 
and  the  old  gentleman  eyed  him  sus- 
piciously. Presently  the  old  man's  eye 
begah  to  brighten. 

"  What  papers  have  you  got  there  ? " 
said  he,  pointing  to  the  stranger's 
pocket,  which  bore  the  appearance  of  a 
travelling  post  office. 

"  Oh,"  said  the  stranger,  "  those  are 
a  few  copies  of  our  Lutheran  Observer 
that  I  carry  to  read  along  the  road." 

"  Indeed  I  Then  you  belong  to  the 
Lutheran  Church  ? " 

*'Yes,  sir.  Would  you  not  like  to 
look  at  a  copy  of  the  paper  ? " 

The  old  man  was  delighted ;  asked 
stranger  to  stay  for  dinner.  Of  course 
he  accepted.  As  they  were  putting  up 
the  team,  the  old  gentleman  remarked, 

"  You  drive  a  queer-looking  wagon." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  stranger ;  "  I  have 
been  out  West,  and  have  suffered  sev- 
eral months  from  chills  and  fever. 
Wishing  to  get  home  to  my  family, 
and  having  no  means  of  defraying  my 
expenses,  I  purchased  a  few  clocks  to 
sell  along  the  way." 

Stranger  stayed,  and  fed  himself  and 
horses  without  money  and  without 
price.  He  did  more.  He  sold  TJncle 
Jonathan  every  clock  on  his  wagon, 
and  took  his  note,  which  he  turned  in- 
to money  within  two  hours. 

"  Well,"  said  the  landlord,  «  didn't  I 
tell  you  that  he  would  abuse  you  ?  " 

"Very  much  mistaken,"  said  Yan- 
kee; "the  old  man  is  a  gentleman. 
Here,  take  these  papers  {Observers] ;  I 
have  no  further  use  for  them." 

Uncle  Jonathan  is  silent  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Yankee  clock  peddlers. 


Bisks  of  the  Currency. 

A  RocHESTEK  darkey  named  Pete 
got  a  five-dollar  counterfeit  bill,  and 
taking  some  friends  to  a  lager  beer 
saloon,  treated  them  to  the  extent  of 
forty  cents,  passed  the  bill,  and  got  the 
change.  The  Dutchman  soon  found 
the  bUl  was  bad,  and  overhauling  Pete, 
charged  him  with  passing  counterfeit 
money.  Pete  expressed  great  surprise, 
said  he  knew  where  he  got  the  bill, 
and  would  take  it  and  get  a  good  one 
for  it.  This  was  agreed  to,  but  day 
after  day  passed,  and  Pete  did  not 
bring  back  the  money.  The  Dutch- 
man overhauled  him  again,  and  Pete 
said  the  man  who  gave  it  to  him  was 
now  trying  to  get  it  back  from  the  man 
Tie  took  it  from.  The  Dutchman  was 
furious,  and  threatened  to  have  him 
taken  up  for  passing  counterfeit  money. 
"  Guess  you  couldn't  do  that,"  said 
Pete ;  "  can't  took  up  a  man  for  pass- 
ing counterfeit  money,  when  you  hain't 
got  de  bill !  "  This  was  a  new  idea  to 
Mr.  Lagerbeer  and  Pete  comforted  him 
by  paying  him  a  dollar  and  a  half  of 
the  change,  as  he  said,  "  goin'  halves  " 
with  him  in  the  loss  of  the  V. 


SCaking:  Changre  at  Bailroad  Befresh- 
ment  Stands. 

Yeabs  ago  Lewis  Holt  kept  a  railroad 
refreshment  stand  at  the  station  at  At- 
tica, on  the  road  nmning  west.  He  had 
a  way  which  men  of  his  persuasion  have 
— not  altogether  abandoned — of  taking 
the  money  of  passengers,  sweeping  it 
into  his  drawer,  and  fumbling  after  the 
change  till  the  cars  were  off,  when  the 
passenger  would  have  to  run  and  leave 
his  money.  Charlie  Dean  stepped  out 
of  the  cars  there  one  day,  took  a  "  gin- 
ger pop,"  price  six  cents,  laid  down  a 
quarter,  which  Holt  dropped  into  his 
till,  and  went  hunting  to  get  the 
change.  Away  went  the  cars,  and 
Charlie  jumped  on  without  his  change ; 
but  he  had  time  to  read  the  name  of 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


279 


Lewis  Holt  over  the  door,  and,  mak- 
ing a  note  of  it,  rode  on. 

Postage  was  high  in  those  days,  and 
was  not  required  in  advance.  From 
Buflfalo  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Holt — 
"Sell  foam  at  25  cents  a  glass,  wiU 
you?"  Holt  paid  ten  cents  on  this 
letter,  and  ten  more  on  one  from  De- 
troit, and  twenty-five  on  another  from 
St.  Louis,  and  for  two  or  three  years  he 
kept  getting  letters  from  his  unknown 
customer,  and  would  have  got  more  to 
this  day,  but  for  the  law  requiring 
postage  to  be  paid  in  advance.  He 
had  to  pay  two  or  three  dollars  in 
postage  before  the  letters  ceased  to 
come,  and  as  they  were  always  directed 
in  a  new  handwriting,  he  hoped  each 
one  was  of  more  importance  than  the 
ones  before. 

Weierhiner  Short. 
A  WESTERN  man,  too  smart  by  half 
for  his  own  interest  or  the  good  of  his 
soul,  drove  into  town  with  a  load  of 
wheat  in  bags,  to  be  sold  by  weight,  so 
many  pounds  to  the  bushel.  Finding 
a  merchant  ready  to  purchase,  the  sell- 
er demurred  to  the  proposal  to  drive 
upon  the  buyer's  scales,  as  he  was  afraid 
he  might  not  be  fairly  dealt  with. 
"Very  well,"  said  the  merchant,  "if 
you  prefer  it,  drive  on  and  be  weighed 
out  there,"  pointing  to  the  next  plat- 
form. On  he  went,  keeping  his  seat 
on  the  load;  the  merchant  opened  a 
little  door  in  the  floor,  asked  the  seller 
how  many  bags  there  were,  and  being 
told  twenty,  pronounced  the  load  to  be 
forty-two  bushels.  "  All  right !  "  said 
the  seller,  and  then  returned  and  de- 
posited his  wheat  at  the  buyer's  store 
and  went  off,  never  finding  out  that 
he  had  been  weighed  on  the  platform 
of  a  fire  cistern,  and  that  he  had  sold 
fifty  bushels  of  wheat  for  forty-two ! 


Italian  BJaavery  in  Picture  Selling. 

If  modem  copies  and  paintings  in 
Florence  can  be  counted  by  myriads, 


there  seems  to  be  equally  a  mine  of  old 
copies  and  originals  as  inexhaustible  as 
the  coal  pits  of  England.  For  centuries 
Italy  has  been  furnishing  the  rest  of 
Europe  with  pictures,  yet  the  supply 
stiU  remains  as  plentiful  as  its  beggars. 
Lumber  rooms  are  stored  with  them ; 
streets  are  lined  with  them ;  every  tai- 
lor has  his  gallery ;  each  Italian  gentle- 
man his  heirlooms ;  in  short,  Florence 
is  a  vast  picture  shop.  One  would 
imagine  that  every  man,  woman,  and 
child,  for  the  last  century,  had  been 
bom  with  pencil  in  hand.  There  is  no 
possibility  of  diminishing  them.  One 
dealer  has  sold  twelve  thmsand  in  Eng- 
land alone — at  least  he  says  so — and 
yet  his  rooms  are  full  to  repletion, 
though  he  is  diminishing  his  stock  to 
give  up  business.  Cargoes  go  annual- 
ly to  the  United  States — the  matter 
being  much  after  this  wise : 

A  speculator  arrives,  and  gives  out 
that  he  is  a  purchaser  of  pictures  by 
the  wholesale.  A  flock  of  crows  can- 
not light  sooner  upon  an  open  cornbag, 
than  do  the  sellers  upon  him.  He  is 
not  after  good  pictures,  but  the  trash 
that  can  be  bought  for  the  value  of 
the  wood  in  their  frames.  They  are 
brought  to  him  by  wagon  loads.  He 
looks  at  the  pile,  and  makes  an  ofier 
according  to  its  size.  In  this  way  he 
buys  several  thousand  daubs  at  an 
average  of  a  few  dimes  each,  spends  as 
much  more  in  varnish,  regilding,  and  a 
little  retouching,  sends  them  to  Amer- 
ica, where  they  are  duly  ofi"ered  for  sale 
as  so  many  Titians,  Vandykes,  Muril- 
los,  or  other  lights  of  the  European 
school.  One  lucky  sale  pays  for  the 
entire  lot.  No  other  art  affords  a  wider 
scope  for  fraud.  There  are  fair  dealers, 
but  Italian  reputation  in  general,  in 
this  respect,  is  of  a  slippery  character. 
A  dealer  will  sometimes  practise  his 
trickery  after  this  fashion :  have  a  fine 
copy,  in  a  frame,  exposed  as  a  sample, 
for  which  a  buyer  is  found,  at  what 
appears  a  reasonable  price,  the  bargain 
concluded,  and  the  purchaser's  name 


280 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


marked  by  himself  on  the  back  of  the 
picture.  Upon  receiving  it  at  home, 
however,  he  could  not  believe  his  own 
senses,  so  inferior  did  it  appear  to  the 
one  he  selected ;  but  on  the  back  there 
was  the  veritable  evidence  of  his  own 
handwriting.  Upon  investigation,  it 
was  proved  that  the  seller  had  two  pic- 
tures in  the  same  frame,  the  outer  one 
being  good  and  the  inner  bad,  and  that 
he  had  withdrawn  the  former  and  sent 
the  latter.  __♦___ 

"To  what  Base  Uses  have  we  Come  at 

Last!" 

When  poor  Law's  "Mississippi 
scheme  "  had  run  itself  out,  to  the  ter- 
rible damage  of  those  who  had  invest- 
ed in  it,  the  excitement  knew  no 
bounds,  and  there  were  thousands  of 
ruined  and  frenzied  men  seeking  to  lay 
revengeful  hands  upon  the  author  of 
their  misery.  Law  took  good  care 
not  to  expose  himself  imguarded  in 
the  streets.  Shut  up  in  the  apart- 
ments of  the  Regent,  he  was  secure 
from  all  attack,  and,  whenever  he  ven- 
tured abroad,  it  was  either  incognito^  or 
in  one  of  the  royal  carriages,  with  a 
powerful  escort.  An  amusing  anecdote 
is  recorded  of  the  detestation  in  which 
he  was  held  by  the  people,  and  the  ill- 
treatment  he  would  have  met,  had  he 
fallen  into  their  hands. 

A  merchant  by  the  name  of  Boursel 
was  passing  in  his  carriage  down  the 
Rue  St.  Antoine,  when  his  further 
progres  was  stayed  by  a  hackney 
coach  that  had  blocked  up  the  road. 
M.  Boursel's  servant  called  impatiently 
to  the  hackney  coachman  to  get  out  of 
the  way,  and,  on  his  refusal,  struck 
him  a  spirited  smack  on  the  face,  A 
crowd  was  soon  drawn  together  by  the 
disturbance,  and  M.  Boursel  got  out  of 
the  carriage  to  restore  order.  The 
hackney  coachman,  imagining  now  that 
he  had  another  assailant,  bethought 
him  of  an  ingenious  feint  to  rid  him- 
self of  both,  and  called  out  as  loudly 
as  he  was  able : 


"  Help !  help  !  murder !  murder ! 
Here  are  Law  and  his  servant  going  to 
mime!    Help!  help!" 

At  this  cry,  the  people  came  out  of 
their  shops,  armed  with  sticks  and 
other  weapons,  while  the  mob  gath- 
ered stones  to  inflict  summary  ven- 
geance upon  the  supposed  financier. 
Happily  for  M.  Boursel  and  his  servant, 
the  door  of  a  church  near  by  stood 
wide  open,  and,  seeing  the  fearful  odds 
against  them,  the  two  rushed  toward 
it  with  all  speed.  They  reached  the 
altar,  still  pursued  by  the  people,  and 
would  have  been  ill-treated  even 
there,  if,  finding  the  door  open  leading 
to  the  sacristy,  they  had  not  sprang 
through,  and  closed  it  after  them.  The 
mob  were  then  persuaded  to  leave  the 
church  by  the  alarmed  and  indignant 
priests ;  and,  finding  M.  Boursel's  car- 
riage stUI  in  the  streets,  they  vented 
their  ill- will  against  it,  and  did  it  con- 
siderable damage. 

Little  did  the  once  powerful  and 
pampered  Law  imagine  that  he  would 
thus  ever  be  made  the  convenient 
scapegoat  of  a  hackney  coachman  1 


Flan  to  Btiin  the  Ancient  Pirxn  of 
Child  &  Co.  by  the  Bank  of  Eng- 
land. 

It  is  well  known  that  in  the  year 
1745,  on  account  of  the  domestic  con- 
fusion which  prevailed  in  some  parts 
of  England,  bank  notes  were  at  a  con- 
siderable discount.  The  notes,  how- 
ever, which  were  issued  by  Child's 
house,  as  well  as  those  of  Hoare  &  Co., 
still  maintained  their  credit,  and  were 
circulated  at  par.  The  bank  directors, 
alarmed  at  the  depreciation  of  their 
paper,  and  attributing  it  to  the  high 
estimation  in  which  the  house  of 
Messrs.  ChUd  still  remained,  attempt- 
ed, by  very  unfair  artifices,  to  ruin 
their  reputation.  This  plan  they  en- 
deavored to  accomplish  by  collecting  a 
very  large  quantity  of  their  notes,  and 
pouring  them  all  in  together  for  pay- 


TRADE  AND  BUSINESS  IMMORALITIES. 


281 


ment  on  the  same  day.  Before  the 
project  was  executed,  her  Grace,  the 
Duchess  of  Marlborough,  who  had  re- 
ceived some  intimation  of  it,  imparted 
the  information  to  Mr.  Child,  and  sup- 
plied him  with  a  sum  of  money  more 
than  sufficient  to  answer  the  amplest 
demand  that  could  be  made  upon 
them.  In  consequence  of  this  scheme, 
the  notes  were  sent  by  the  bank,  and 
were  paid  in  their  own  paper — a  cir- 
cumstance which  occasioned  consider- 
able loss  to  that  corporation,  their  pa- 
per being  circulated  considerably  be- 
low par.  Perhaps  this  anecdote  finds 
confirmation  in  the  well-known  cir- 
cumstance of  the  hostility  of  her  Grace 
to  the  administrators  of  that  trust. 


Bubble  Prospectuses. 

The  most  laughable  reading  may  be 
found  by  looking  over  the  prospectuses 
of  the  joint-stock  bubble  companies 
which  flourished  in  England  in  1824. 
At  that  time  mines  were  proposed  in 
all  parts  of  the  world.  One  was  issued 
at  a  premium  avowedly  for  the  benefit 
of  the  projector.  Another  was  cele- 
brated "  for  having  a  vein  of  tin  ore  in 


its  bottom,  as  pure  and  solid  as  a  tin 
flagon."  A  third  was  pronounced  by 
the  directors  as  "  no  speculative  under- 
taking— no  problematic  or  visionary 
scheme — it  was  founded  on  a  sure  and 
permanent  basis,  adopted  after  months 
of  mature  deliberation,  after  inquiries, 
surveys,  investigations,  and  reports;" 
and  this  was  dissolved  almost  imme- 
diately. Another  declared  that  "  lumps 
of  pure  gold,  weighing  from  two  to 
fifty  pounds,  were  totally  neglected," 
and  that  its  mines  alone  would  yield 
"  considerably  more  than  the  quantity 
necessary  for  the  supply  of  the  whole 
world."  The  romantic  aspect  of  the 
land  was  described  in  a  fifth ;  while  a 
sixth,  proposing  to  supply  England 
with  granite,  lamented,  in  plausible 
and  poetic  strain,  the  "  soft  and  per- 
ishable materials  "  of  the  buildings  of 
"the  mighty  head  of  a  mighty  em- 
pire." Innumerable  laborers  and  arti- 
sans were  to  be  employed,  "and," 
continued  the  prospectus,  "  perhaps  by 
the  efforts  of  this  company  the  dingy 
brick  fronts,  the  disgrace  of  the  metro- 
polis, may  give  way  to  more  durable 
and  magnificent  elevations,  worthy  of 
the  throne  of  the  queen  of  the  isles." 


PART  FIFTH. 


Anecdotes  of  Famous  Commercial  Besorts  akd 
Localities. 


:natha:n  mkter   rotuschild. 

Bk-cL    ut     Tra.nlcfori:,     (? .  .Tf .,       JiUy    28.1830,      ^g  ed.     S  iaty      Tec 


Vi<f\v  VorV,  D  Appleton  SiC° 


PAET   FIFTH. 

Anecdotes  of  Famous  Commercial  Kesorts  and  Localities. 

the  exchange,  custom  house,  boards  op  trade,  markets,  etc. — their  annals,  usages, 
peculiarities;  with  personal  miscellanies,  aphorisms,  oddities,  whims,  amd  ca- 
prices OP  THEIR  HABITUES. 


Business  Is  the  salt  of  life,  which  not  only  gives  a  grateful  smack  to  it,  hut  dries  up  those  crnditlee 
that  would  offend. — Arion. 

Long  has  this  worthy  heen  conversant  in  bartering,  and  knows,  that  when  stocks  are  loweut,  it  is 
the  time  to  buy.— Tatler. 

I'll  give  thrice  so  much  land 

To  any  well-deserving  friend  ; 

But  in  the  way  of  bargain — mark  me  1 

I'll  cavil  on  the  ninth  part  of  a  hair. 

Shakspeare's  "  Henet  IV." 
And  conscience,  truth,  and  honesty  are  made 
To  rise  and  fall,  like  other  wares  of  trade.— Moore. 


Custom-House  Official  Dealing:  with 
a  Princess. 

The  Princess  of  Prussia  having  ordered 
some  ricli  silks  from  Lyons,  which  paid  a 
high  duty  at  Stettin,  the  place  of  her  resi- 
dence, the  custom-house  officer  rudely 
seized  them,  until  the  duties  were  paid. 
The  princess,  highly  indignant  at  such 
an  aflfront,  desired  the  officer  to  bring 
the  silks  to  her  apartments.  He  did  so, 
when  the  princess  seized  them,  and 
giving  the  officer  a  few  cuflfs  ia  the 
face,  turned  him  out  of  doors.  The 
proud  and  mortified  man  of  excise,  in 
a  violent  fit  of  resentment,  presented  a 
memorial  to  Frederic  the  Great,  in 
which  he  complained  bitterly  of  the 
dishonor  put  upon  him  in  the  execu- 
tion of  his  office.  The  king,  having 
read  the  memorial,  returned  the  follow- 
ing answer :  "  Sir,  the  loss  of  the  duties 
belongs  to  my  account ;  the  sUks  are  to 
remain  in  the  possession  of  the  princess 
— the  cufis  with  him  who  received  them. 
As  to  the  supposed  dishonor,  I  cancel  it 


at  the  request  of  the  complainant ;  but 
it  is  itself  null,  for  the  lily  hand  of  a 
fair  lady  cannot  possibly  dishonor  the 
face  of  a  custom-house  officer.    Fked- 

EBIC." 


Bencontre  between  Kothscliild  and 
Bose  the  Sroker,  on  'Changre. 

There  was  no  more  constant  attend- 
ant on  'Change,  every  Tuesday  and 
Friday,  than  Rothschild,  and,  for 
years,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  planting 
himself  at  a  particular  spot,  with  his 
back  to  the  pillar  known  to  every  fre- 
quenter of  that  precinct  as  "  Roths- 
child's pillar;"  but,  alas  for  human 
greatness  I  he  was  on  oHe  occasion 
doomed  to  the  sad  annoyance,  that  he 
had  no  especial  right  to  that  particular 
spot.  A  person  of  the  name  of  Rose, 
possessed  of  great  courage,  one  Tues- 
day afternoon  purposely  placed  him- 
self on  the  spot  hitherto  occupied  by 
the  world's  financial  dictator.  On  Mr. 
Rothschild's    approach,  he    requested 


286 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


the  party  to  move.  This  was  just  what 
the  other  expected,  and  what  he  was  pre- 
pared to  dispute.  He  argued  that  this 
was  the  royal  exchange,  free  to  all ;  and 
he,  as  a  British  subject,  had  a  right 
to  stand  there  if  he  thought  fit.  This 
doctrine  could  not  of  course  be  dis- 
puted, but  he  was  told  that  it  was  the 
spot  that  Mr.  Rothschild  invariably 
occupied,  and,  as  such,  ought  to  be 
yielded ;  but  no !  Mr.  Rose,  being  a 
powerful  man,  defied  3Ir.  Rothschild 
and  aU  his  tribe  to  remove  him.  For 
nearly  three-quarters  of  an  hour — the 
most  valuable  portion  of  the  exchange 
time — did  he  keep  deliberate  posses- 
sion of  the  autocrat's  pillar;  and  not 
until  the  whole  business  of  the  ex- 
change of  the  day  was  jeopardized  did 
Mr.  Rose,  after  having,  as  he  said,  es- 
tablished his  right,  retire,  amidst  the 
yells  and  howls  of  the  friends  of  Roths- 
child there  assembled. 


Faying  G-overzunent  Fishing  Bounties. 

On  the  accession  of  a  new  auditor  in 
one  of  our  custom  houses,  several  years 
ago,  he  found  considerable  looseness  in 
the  machinery  by  which  the  fishing 
bounties  were  paid  at  that  establish- 
ment. He  determined  to  correct  the 
proceeding,  and  then  rettim  with  joy 
to  the  original  and  honest  state  of 
things. 

Be  it  known,  that  the  oath  required 
of  an  applicant  for  this  bounty  is  a 
long,  rude  complication  of  solemnities, 
and  had  usually  been  sputtered  over 
with  indelicate  and  unseemly  haste. 

One  day  a  blustering  and  confident- 
looking  skipper  came  to  the  desk  with 
his  bimdle  of  papers,  looking  as  if  he 
had  robbed  the  circumlocution  oflSce, 
and  wanted  some  bounty.  The  new 
auditor  rose  to  a  tall  majesty,  took  the 
great  book  of  oath  in  his  hand,  fixed 
his  keen  eye  on  Mr.  Skipper,  requested 
him  to  uncover  his  head,  hold  up  his 
right  hand,  and  repeat  after  him  the 
oath  as  he  read  it.    They  had  not  trav- 


elled more  than  half  way  through  the 
serious  business,  when  the  hand  of  the 
skipper  feU  as  quick  as  if  his  arm  had 
been  struck  by  a  chain  shot. 

"  You  may  stop  there,"  he  exclaimed ; 
"I  can't  swear  to  any  more  of  that. 
Give  me  back  the  papers." 

He  nervously  grasped  the  package, 
hurried  out  of  the  office,  and  to  this 
day  his  fate  and  reflections  are  un- 
known. 


Photograph  of  Wall  Street. 

The  view  given  of  this  great  thor- 
oughfare by  Mr.  Kimball,  in  his  "Un- 
dercurrents of  Wall  Street,"  is  admi- 
rable in  its  descriptive  power.  He 
says: — ^Its  advantages  for  a  universal 
mart  are  incredible.  It  is  Lombard 
Street,  Threadneedle  Street,  Old  Broad 
Sreeet,  Wapping,  the  Docks,  Thames 
Street,  and  the  Inns  of  Court,  com- 
bined. In  it  is  the  Custom  House  as 
well  as  the  Exchange.  It  is  a  good 
dog  market,  cow  market,  and  bird 
market.  If  you  want  a  pair  of  horses, 
and  any  description  of  new  or  second- 
hand carriage,  wait  a  little,  and  they 
will  be  paraded  before  you.  Tou  will 
find  there  the  best  fruit,  and  the  finest 
flowers  in  their  season.  If  you  would 
have  a  donkey,  a  Shetland  pony,  or  a 
Newfoundland  dog,  a  good  milch  cow 
and  calf,  a  Berkshire  pig,  a  terrier, 
white  mice,  a  monkey  or  parroquets, 
they  are  to  be  had  in  Wall  street.  It 
is  a  strange  spot.  On  Sunday  or  early 
in  the  morning  during  the  week  it  is 
like  the  street  of  a  deserted  city.  About 
ten  o'clock  it  begins  to  show  signs  of 
extraordiaary  animation.  Through  the 
day  the  turmoil  increases,  people  rush 
to  and  fro,  and  literally  "  stagger  like 
drunken  men."  Toward  three  o'clock 
the  street  appears  undergoing  a  series 
of  desperate  throes.  Men  rush  madly 
past  each  other  with  bank  books  in 
their  hands,  uncurrent  money,  notes, 
drafts,  checks,  specie.  Occasionally  you 
may  see  an  individual  on  the  steps  of  a 


FAMOUS  COMMERCIAL  RESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 


287 


building,  evidently  waiting  for  some- 
thing, with  an  air  of  forced  calmness. 
From  time  to  time  he  turns  his  eyes  anx- 
iously to  the  great  dial-plate  which  is 
displayed  from  the  church,  and  then  up 
and  down  the  street.  The  minute-hand 
has  marked  five  into  the  last  quarter. 
In  ten  more  minutes  it  will  be  three 
o'clock.  Occasionally  an  acquaintance 
passes ;  the  man  attempts  as  he  bows 
to  smile  pleasantly ;  he  can't  do  it,  he 
only  makes  a  grimace.  What  is  he 
waiting  for?  That  individual  has  a 
note  to  pay,  or  a  check  to  make  good 
before  three.  He  has  worked  hard, 
but  the  fates  are  against  him.  One 
friend  is  out  of  town,  a  second  is  short, 
a  third  can't  use  his  paper :  he  has 
sent  to  the  last  possible  place.  Look  1 
the  young  man  is  coming.  Yes  ?  No  ? 
He  runs  eagerly  up,  thrusts  the  wel- 
come little  slip,  a  check  for  the  desired 
amount,  into  the  hands  of  the  now 
agitated  principal;  it  is  rapidly  in- 
dorsed, and  on  flies  the  youth  to  the 
bank. 

Our  hero  relieved — ^he  has  probably 
borrowed  the  money  for  a  day  only, 
and  has  to  renew  the  attack  next  morn- 
ing— ^now  proposes  to  leave  his  affairs, 
he  lights  a  cigar,  invites  the  first  friend 
he  meets  to  take  a  drink  with  him,  and 
strolls  leisurely  up  Broadway  as  un- 
concernedly as  if  he  had  not  a  care  in 
the  world.  Perhaps  he  does  not  come 
off  so  luckily ;  perhaps  his  young  man 
reports  to  him,  while  standing  gloomily 
on  the  steps,  that  it  is  "  no  go  ; "  then 
the  fatal  hand  which  points  toward 
three,  travels  fast.  He  considers  a 
moment ;  he  sfees  it  can't  be  done ;  he 
waits  until  he  hears  the  chimes  ring 
out  the  frill  hour,  and  then  "  his  mind 
is  easy."  Your  shrewd  money-lender 
understands  this  perfectly.  He  knows 
how  unsafe  it  is  to  let  his  victim 
pass  the  point  unrelieved ;  for,  once 
having  gone  to  protest,  he  becomes 
demoralized,  and  in  consequence 
indifferent.  So,  just  before  the  hour, 
the  money  is  generally  "  found," 


Drinking:  the  Health  of  Custom.  Honse 
Officers. 

"  Will  Watch,"  the  bold  smuggler, 
as  a  once  popular  song  has  it,  sleeps, 
or  rather  slept  for  a  considerable  time, 
at  peace  with  the  dead.  That  is  a 
pity  certainly  on  one  account, — lor  if 
Mr,  Watch  were,  conformably  to  his 
surname,  alive  and  wide  awake,  he 
would  have  a  capital  story  told  him 
of  a  somewhat  novel  importation. 

It  appears  that  among  the  cargo  of 
the  Dane  steamer,  unloaded  at  the 
Southampton  docks,  Eng.,  from  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  were  seven  cases 
addressed  to  Dr.  Schwarz,  Germany. 
The  contents  being  unknown,  they 
were  taken  to  the  "  sight  floor "  for 
examination  by  the  customs'  officers, 
when  they  were  found  to  contain,  ac- 
cording to  the  judgment  of  the  oflScials 
in  question,  various  specimens  of  natu- 
ral history,  illustrating  the  science  of 
anatomy.  One  case  was  filled  with 
"  human  bones,"  and  in  another  case 
were  four  tins,  each  containing  the 
"  head  of  a  negro,"  preserved  in  Irandy 
in  a  jar  closely  secured  in  the  tin.  The 
whole  were  pronounced  to  be  in  a  most 
perfect  condition. 

The  fact,  which  Mr,  Watch  would 
hardly  have  required  to  be  pointed  out 
to  Mm,  evidently  is,  that  a  very  neat 
trick  was  in  this  instance  played  on 
the  custom  house  officers,  resulting  in 
their  being  most  cleverly  "  sold."  The 
simple  fact  is  that  they,  in  their  inno- 
cence, did  not  taste  the  brandy  in 
which  the  heads  of  the  blackamoors 
were  preserved.  If  they  had  tried  that 
formidable  but,  as  it  would  have  proved, 
safe  experiment,  they  would  have  found 
the  spirituous  liquor  none  the  worse  for 
the  preserves.  By  the  art  of  the  model- 
ler and  colorist,  no  doubt,  heads,  black 
or  white,  and  of  the  right  kind  of 
material — as  incapable  of  affecting  as 
of  being  affected  by  brandy — ^may  be 
manufactured  in  any  required  quantity  ; 
and  it  was  not  a  very  long  time  after 
the  decision  in  question,  that  certain 


288 


COMMERCIAL  A^^)  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


gentlemen  might  have  been  seen,  pro- 
vided access  could  have  been  obtained 
to  the  scene  of  their  good  cheer,  convi- 
vially  and  with  a  hearty  gusto  drinking 
the  health  of  the  Southampton  custom  house 
officers  in  the  fluid  supposed  to  have 
served  an  antiseptic  purpose  in  relation 
to  the  heads  of  the  black  men. 

It  is  wonderful  that  such  expert  offi- 
cers were  so  easily  done.  The  address, 
"  Dr.  Schwarz,"  ought  to  have  opened 
their  eyes.  What  would  they  have  said 
to  "Mr.  Smith,"  London?  The  case 
shows  one  more  of  the  secrets  of  smug- 
gling, which  is  an  occupation  much 
more  romantic  than  reputable,  for  the 
smuggler  inflicts  a  downright  injury  on 
the  really  fair  trader — assuming  that 
the  latter  character  still  exists.  Such 
a  case  also  causes  the  imposition  of  a 
very  disagreeable  duty  on  custom  house 
officers — those  usually  bland  and  accom- 
modating persons.  They  wiU  henceforth 
have  to  assure  themselves,  beyond  a 
doubt,  that  the  brandy  in  which  alleged 
anatomical  preparations  are  imported, 
really  contain  those  objects  of  medical 
science;  and  it  is  only  to  be  hoped 
that  they  will  find  the  means  of  deter- 
mining this  point  by  some  other  sense 
than  that  of  taste. 


Manners  at  the  English  Stock 
Exchangre. 

The  manners — no  less  than  the 
morals — of  the  London  Stock  Ex- 
change, are  curious,  to  say  the  least. 
Some  time  since,  the  papers  reported 
a  limb  broken  "  in  sport  ;  "  occasional 
duels  arise  from  the  "fun"  of  the 
members;  and  the  courtesies  of  life 
are  wanting  on  the  part  of  many  of  its 
hcibitues,  if  a  stranger  ventures  among 
them.  When  such  an  "  intruder  "  ap- 
pears, instead  of  the  bearing  of  gentle- 
men, the  first  discoverer  of  the  visitor 
cries  out,  "  Fourteen  hundred  fives ! " 
and  a  hundred  voices  re-echo  the  cry. 
Youth  or  age  is  equally  disregarded; 
and  the  following  description  of  what 
occurred  to  an  unconscious  interloper, 


and  which  is  no  rare  instance,  wiU 
show  that  there  are  financial  as  weU  as 
political "  roughs." 

Not  long  ago  (according  to  an  Eng- 
lish journal),  a  rural  gentleman,  igno- 
rant of  the  rule  so  rigidly  enforced  for 
the  expulsion  of  strangers,  chanced  to 
"drop  in,"  as  he  phrased  it,  to  the 
Stock  Exchange.  He  walked  about 
for  nearly  a  minute,  without  being  dis- 
covered to  be  an  intruder,  indulging 
in  surprise  at  finding  that  the  great- 
est uproar  and  frolic  prevailed  in  a 
place  in  which  he  expected  there  would 
be  nothing  but  order  and  decorum. 
All  at  once,  a  person  who  had  just 
concluded  a  hasty  but  severe  scrutiny 
of  his  features,  called  out  at  the  full 
stretch  of  his  voice  the  usual  signal 
in  such  cases — "Fourteen  hundred." 
Then  a  bevy  of  the  "  gentlemen  "  of 
the  resort  clamorously  surrounded  him. 
"  Will  you  purchase  any  new  navy  five 
per  cent.  ? "  said  one,  eagerly  and  mena- 
cingly looking  him  in  the  face.  "  I  am 
not — ,"  the  stranger  was  about  to  say 
he  was  not  going  to  purchase  stock  of 
any  kind,  but  was  unceremoniously 
prevented  finishing  his  sentence  by  his 
hat  being,  through  a  powerful  applica- 
tion of  some  one's  fist  to  its  crown, 
not  only  forced  over  his  eyes,  but  over 
his  mouth  also.  Before  he  had  time  to 
recover  from  the  stupefaction  into 
which  the  suddenness  and  violence  of  "^^ 
the  eclipse  threw  him,  he  was  seized 
by  the  shoulders  and  whirled  about 
as  if  he  had  been  a  revolving  machine, 
accompanied  by  several  smart  cuflfe 
which  told,  with  stinging  effect,  in  the  _^ 

region  of  his  ears.  He  was  then  «# 
dragged  about,  from  one  person  to  an- 
other, each  having  a  fraternal  "  turn  " 
at  him,  as  if  he  had  only  been  the 
effigy  of  some  human  being,  instead  of 
a  human  being  himself.  After  tossing 
and  hustling  him  about  in  the  roughest 
possible  manner,  abbreviating  his  coat 
of  one  of  its  tails,  and  tearing  into 
fragments  other  parts  of  his  wardrobe, 
they  carried  him  to  the  door,  where, 


FAMOUS   COMMERCIAL  EESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 


289 


after  depositing  him  on  his  feet,  they 
left  him  to  recover  his  lost  senses  at  his 
leisure — but  in  some  other  place  and 
company  than  theirs. 


Origrln  of  Boards  of  Trade. 

Cromweli,  seems,  according  to  the 
best  accounts  we  have,  to  have  given 
the  first  notions  of  a  board  of  trade. 
In  1665,  he  appointed  his  son  Richard, 
with  many  lords  of  his  council,  judges 
and  gentlemen,  and  about  twenty  mer- 
chants of  London,  York,  Newcastle, 
Yarmouth,  Dover,  etc.,  to  meet  and 
consider  by  what  means  the  trade  and 
navigation  of  the  republic  might  be 
best  promoted.  Charles  the  Second, 
on  his  restoration,  established  a  council 
of  trade  for  keeping  a  control  over  the 
whole  commerce  of  the  nation ;  he 
afterwards  instituted  a  board  of  trade 
and  plantations,  which  was  afterwards 
re-modelled  by  William  the  Third. 
This  board  of  commercial  superinspec- 
tion  was  abolished  in  1773  ;  and  a  new 
council  for  the  affairs  of  trade,  on  its 
present  plan,  was  appointed  in  1786. 


Attacks  on  the  Stock  Exchangre. 

The  character  of  the  old  stock  ex- 
change, of  London,  has  been  set  forth 
in  terms  about  as  strong  as  language 
can  express  it.  Even  as  far  back  as  a 
century  ago,  a  writer  of  that  time  says, 
"  The  centre  of  jobbing  is  the  king- 
dom of  'Change  Alley;"  and  what 
was  true  then  is  by  many  regarded  as 
the  same  at  the  present  day.  The  enor- 
mous profits  made  by  the  association, 
the  malpractices  of  the  greater  part  of 
its  members,  and  the  insolence  of  the 
richer  ones,  excited  long  since  the  alarm 
of  those  unacccustomed  to  such  manoeu- 
vres, and  the  public  writers  began  to 
attack  their  increasing  power. 

"  The  villany  of  stock-jobbing  is 
called  a  mystery  or  machine  of  trade," 
says  one  of  these  writers.  "  This  de- 
structive hydra  I  this  new  corporation 
19 


of  hell ! "  exclaims  another ;  while  one 
of  them  gives  directions,  in  order  to 
besiege  and  bring  to  surrender  "  that 
infamous  place,  'Change  Alley,"  "to 
storm  it,"  etc. 

Another  writer  declares  that  "  the 
general  cry  against  stock-jobbing  has 
been  so  long,  and  it  has  been  so  justly 
complained  of  as  a  public  nuisance, 
that  these  people  are  hardened  in 
crime ;  all  their  art  is  a  mere  system 
of  cheat  and  delusion  ;  their  characters 
are  as  dirty  as  their  employments ;  and 
the  best  thing  that  can  be  said  of  them, 
perhaps,  is  that  there  happen  to  be  two 
honest  men  among  them."  "  Exchange 
Alley  is,  in  fact,  as  dangerous  to  the 
public  safety  as  a  magazine  of  gun- 
powder to  a  populous  city." 

But  all  these  invectives  did  not  ob- 
struct the  progress  of  the  establish- 
ment ;  on  the  contrary,  it  continued 
to  become  more  powerful,  and  in- 
creased in  proportion  as  the  govern- 
ment was  more  extravagant  and  care- 
less of  the  public  money.  It  became, 
in  short,  an  indispensable  engine  of 
the  government  itself;  but  the  latter 
was  finally  compelled,  by  public  opin- 
ion against  the  detested  operations  of 
the  exchange,  and  in  order  to  keep  up 
appearances,  to  pass  several  acts  against 
the  very  operations  and  the  very  gam- 
bling it  was  so  deeply,  though  secretly, 
fomenting.  Avarice,  idleness,  and  the 
hope  of  becoming  rich  in  a  short  time 
without  industry,  eluded  and  evaded 
all  laws.  The  members  of  this  corpo- 
ration have  not  only  become  the  exclu- 
sive masters  of  the  British  money 
market,  but  have  acquired  the  im- 
mense power  of  secretly  controlling  and 
regulating  the  funds  and  money  market 
of  almost  the  whole  world. 


Costom  Houses  and  Star  Chambers. 

A  MEBCHANT  in  London,  of  the  name 
of  Richard  Chambers,  having  sustained 
some  loss  by  a  confiscation  of  part  of 
his  property  by  the  custom-house  offi- 


290 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS   ANTICDOTES. 


cers,  in  a  moment  of  indignation  said, 
in  the  hearing  of  some  of  the  privy 
comicil,  "  that  the  merchants  in  Eng- 
land were  more  wrung  and  screwed 
than  in  foreign  parts."  For  the  offence 
of  this  language  he  was  forthwith 
brought  before  "the  honorable  court 
of  Star  Chamber,"  as  it  was  termed, 
and  fined  two  thousand  pounds,  for 
refusing  to  pay  which  he  was  ordered 
to  be  imprisoned  six  years,  and  even 
this  punishment  was  by  some  members 
of  the  court  considered  too  small.  It 
was  also  part  of  Chambers'  sentence  to 
sign  a  very  mean  submission,  which 
was  accordingly  prepared.  But  when 
this  was  brought  to  him  he  absolutely 
refused,  and,  with  all  the  terrors  of  a 
prison  in  view,  wrote  under  it  that 
"  he  abhorred  and  detested  it  as  unjust 
and  false,  and  never  until  death  would 
he  acknowledge  any  part  of  it."  In 
consequence  of  his  determined  opposi- 
tion to  the  tyranny  of  the  government, 
on  this  and  other  occasions.  Chambers 
was  utterly  ruined,  and  died  of  poverty 
and  brokenheartedness  at  an  advanced 

age. 

♦ 

Quotations  of  the  New  Exchange. 

The  commercial  phrases  peculiar  to 
the  new  Matrimonial  Exchange,  Lon- 
don, are  from  time  to  time  delineated 
by  the  stock  reporters  for  Punch — a 
journal  which  appears  to  be  the  exclu- 
sive organ  of  the  dealers  and  habitues 
of  that  important  mart.  Quotations 
are  given  as  follows — though  the  varia- 
tions are  so  rapid  and  anomalous  as 
almost  to  defy  the  reporter's  skill : 

The  demand  for  hands  has  been  flat. 
Rings  have  been  heavy,  and  so  were 
not  fingered.  Acceptances  were  at  a 
discount — offers  fluctuating.  "Yes's" 
were  in  plenty,  but  no  takers.  Kisses 
were  liberally  showered  on  new  visitors. 
Hearts  that  were  to  be  had  for  love  went 
off  unsteadily,  and,  in  some  cases,  at  con- 
siderable risk ;  those  with  high  interest 
eagerly  sought  for,  though,  in  many 


cases,  at  a  great  risk,  as  permanent  in- 
vestments. 

Banns  might  have  been  had  with 
asking  for;  but  licenses  kept  their 
prices — there  were  very  few  transac- 
tions in  this  stock.  Smiles  and 
squeezes  were  unchangeable  at  par, 
and  one  gentleman  who  speculated 
boldly  in  foot  touches,  met  with 
favorable  returns.  Sighs  latterly  were 
heavy,  but  small-talk  continued  brisk 
to  the  close.  Bright  eyes  looked  up 
occasionally,  but  soon  fell  again. 
Though  some  business,  as  usual,  was 
done  in  blushes,  silly  looks  were  not 
in  demand ;  free-and-easies,  however, 
rose  to  a  high  premium,  and  drove 
genuine  modesty  almost  out  of  the 
market. 

Maternal  frowns  were  in  consider- 
able quantities,  and  prevented,  it  is 
thought,  many  imprudent  bargains 
from  being  finally  settled.  Scandal 
kept  its  customary  high  ground ;  and 
more  transactions  occurred  in  that  line 
than  in  the  three  others  put  together. 
Serenades — particularly  of  wind  instru- 
ments— were  in  great  demand  and  in 
plentiful  supply  during  the  equinox. 
Slights  were  complained  of  by  many 
dealers. 

On  the  whole,  at  the  close  of  the 
season  and  markets,  the  single  per 
cents  were  not  much  reduced,  as  com- 
pared with  the  business  of  former 
years;  and  there  was  a  sluggishness 
in  even  improper  flirtations,  which  had 
no  doubt  its  share  in  casting  a  gloom 
and  monotony  over  the  general  course 
of  the  Exchange. 

P.  S. — A  later  report  gives  the  mar- 
ket an  aspect  of  greater  steadiness  and 
encouragement.  Liberal  offers  being 
more  difficult  to  obtain,  has  caused 
acceptances  to  be  had  at  a  great  dis- 
count compared  with  previous  quota- 
tions. Not  much  doing  in  maternal 
frowns,  on  which  account  time  bar- 
gains are  settled  without  much  diffi- 
culty. Heavy  purses  are  much  in- 
quired   for;   but   stocks   with   small 


FAMOUS  COMMERCIAL  RESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 


291 


capitals,  have  not  once  been  sought 
after.  Sly  squeezes  are  very  brisk. 
Blushes  are  remarked  as  quite  scarce, 
none  having  been  seen  in  the  market 
for  a  length  of  time.  Jealousy  is 
rising  considerably.  Other  stocks  re- 
main almost  the  same  as  before,  with 
the  exception  of  scandal,  which  may  be 
said  to  be  rather  on  the  advance. 


Scenes  in  a  Turkish  Custom  House. 

There  is  a  slight  diflference  between 
an  American  and  a  Syrian  custom- 
house. On  entering  the  latter,  the 
Hadji  dons  a  pair  of  spectacles,  and 
taking  a  scrap  of  paper  from  the 
nearest  applicant,  carefully  peruses  the 
same  before  handing  it  over  to  some 
subordinate.  The  room  is  a  long 
oblong  one,  with  only  one  entrance 
door,  and  a  few  pigeon  holes  close  to 
the  ceiling,  which  do  duty  for  win- 
dows. Round  three  sides  are  placed 
long,  narrow  divans,  with  equally  low 
wooden  desks  before  them.  Only  the 
Hadji,  in  compliment  to  the  high  office 
he  fills,  is  accommodated  with  a  lofty 
seat,  which  serves  for  manifold  pur- 
poses; on  it  he  sits,  tailor  fashion, 
himself;  on  it  are  his  ink-horn,  his 
pepper-box,  full  of  steel  gratings  (to 
serve  instead  of  blotting  paper),' his 
tobacco  pouch,  his  private  account 
book,  his  seal  of  office,  a  large  pair  of 
shears,  to  cut  his  paper  with,  a  quire 
of  paper,  and  a  few  envelopes.  All  the 
clerks  have  the  same  inventory  of  goods, 
with  the  exception  of  the  signet,  either 
on  the  desk  before  them,  or  on  the 
divan  beside  them ;  and,  as  far  as  can 
be  judged,  very  few  of  the  clerks  seem 
to  pay  any  particular  heed  as  to  what 
is  going  on  around  them.  Some  are 
playing  backgammon,  shuffling  the 
dice,  and  speaking  or  laughing  as  loud- 
ly as  though  the  place  were  an  hotel ; 
others  are  playing  at  cat's  cradle ;  some 
are  narrating  little  episodes  of  private 
adventure;  and  one  or  two,  with  in- 
tense anxiety  depicted  in  their  faces, 


may  be  seen  endeavoring  to  unravel  a 
sum  in  simple  addition,  adding  up  some 
six  lines  of  figures,  and  arriving  re- 
peatedly at  most  unsatisfactory  re- 
sults. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  room, 
and  nearest  the  door,  are  some  half- 
dozen  patient  individuals,  who,  see- 
ing the  throng  pressing  aroimd  the 
Hadji's  desk,  despair  of  transacting 
any  business  for  a  good  half-hour  to 
come,  and  endeavor  to  while  away  the 
time  with  the  stale  old  newspaper,  or 
in  desultory  conversation.  In  the  cen- 
tre of  the  room,  wrangling  with  each 
other  in  no  measured  accents,  are  a 
couple  of  Hebrews,  the  one  the  seller, 
the  other  the  purchaser  of  a  few  barrels 
of  sugar,  which  are  warehoused  in  the 
custom  house ;  the  bone  of  contention 
between  them  is  a  couple  of  rusty  old 
hoops,  which  have  fallen  off  said  casks, 
and  which  both  lay  claim  to  as  their 
respective  perquisites ;  their  joint  value 
might  be  somewhat  imder  six  cents — 
but  six  cents  are  six  cents,  and  the  dis- 
pute grows  fierce  and  loud.  At  last 
they  appeal  to  the  Hadji ;  and  the 
Hadji,  who  always  has  an  eye  to  the 
main  chance,  claims  them  as  his  own. 
The  customs  charge  nothing  for  ware- 
housing, therefore  he  considers  himself 
entitled  to  occasional  windfalls.  Vainly 
they  expostulate  against  this,  pale  with 
anxiety  and  rage  to  think  that  they  are 
both  outwitted  ;  the  order  is  given  to 
the  warehouse  scribe,  who  chances  to 
be  in  the  room  at  the  time,  to  make  an 
immediate  memorandum  of  the  mat- 
ter; and  this  dignitary,  who  to  all 
appearance  is  totally  unfurnished  with 
materials,  squats  down  immediately 
upon  the  floor,  and,  producing  ink- 
horn  and  paper,  thrusts  up  one  knee, 
which  serves  him  as  a  desk,  and  the 
minute  is  forthwith  entered.  Then  the 
two  dealers  go  away,  full  of  enmity 
toward  each  other,  their  tempers  not 
being  improved  by  a  sly  allusion,  on 
the  part  of  some  witty  individual,  to 
the  fable  of   the    two  cats  and  the 


292 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


cheese — ^which  fable  itself  was  origi- 
nally copied  from  the  Arabs. 

Every  one  is  talking  and  clamorous, 
when  a  hurried  shipmaster,  accompa- 
nied by  a  consular  cawass  and  an  inter- 
preter, elbows  his  way  up  to  the  Hadji's 
desk  and  demands,  as  the  wind  is  fair, 
to  have  his  ship  cleared  out  instanter, 
"  Shuay,  shuay,  ye  ebney !  Yauash  ! 
yauash  ! "  (Gently,  gently,  my  son  I 
quietly,  quietly !)  "  Does  the  man 
think  we  work  by  Bteam  in  this 
office  ? " 

Thus  demands  the  Hadji,  to  which 
on  due  interpretation,  the  captain 
allows  that  he  would  be  mad  or  blind 
to  think  so.  Nevertheless,  the  Hadji 
has  a  wholesome  fear  of  the  English 
consul ;  wherefore,  he  takes  the  docu- 
ments out  of  the  captain's  hands,  and 
gives  them  to  his  own  private  transla- 
tor. This  individual,  who  is  clad  in 
hybrid  costume,  reads  out  the  mani- 
fest, line  by  line,  the  Hadji  making 
note  of  the  same,  and  comparing  them 
with  his  own  entries  of  shipments, 
which  are  found  to  tally  exactly.  Then 
comes  the  most  important  question, 
viz.,  Have  all  these  shipments  paid 
the  right  export  duty  ?  The  Greek 
broker  has  made  some  omission,  it  ap- 
pears, and  matters  cannot  be  proceeded 
with  till  the  mistake  is  corrected. 
Upon  this  information,  the  shipmaster 
is  naturally  annoyed,  but  there  is  no 
remedy ;  he  is  obliged  to  go  all  the 
way  back  to  the  broker's,  thence  to  the 
shipper,  and  in  all  probability  is  forced 
to  appeal  to  the  consul.  Meanwhile 
the  fair  wind  subsides,  and  the  owners, 
the  underwriters,  and  all  parties  con- 
cerned, have  lost  a  week,  if  not  more — 
a  week  of  hardship,  wear  and  tear,  of 
expenses  in  pay  and  sustenance,  and 
perhaps  the  cargo  is  about  ruined  by 
so  long  confinement. 


Uanchester  Cotton  Merchants. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  part  of  the 
commercial  world  in  which  so  much  is 


done  and  so  little  said  in  the  same 
space  of  time,  as  among  the  merchants 
of  Manchester,  Eng.,  at  the  time  of 
"  high  "  change.  A  stranger  sees  noth- 
ing at  first  but  a  collection  of  gentle- 
men, with  thoughtful,  intelligent  faces, 
who  converse  with  each  other  in 
laconic  whispers,  supply  the  non-use 
of  words  by  nods  and  signs,  move 
noiselessly  from  one  part  of  the  room 
to  another,  guided  as  if  by  some  hidden 
instinct  to  the  precise  person  in  the 
crowd  with  whom  they  have  business 
to  transact. 

A  phrenologist  will  nowhere  meet 
such  a  collection  of  decidedly  clever 
heads.  The  physiognomist  who  de- 
clared that  he  could  find  traces  of 
stupidity  in  the  faces  of  the  wisest 
philosophers,  would  be  at  a  loss  to  find 
any  indication  of  its  presence  in  the 
countenances  assembled  at  the  Man- 
chester Exchange.  Genius  appears  to 
be  not  less  rare  than  folly ;  the  charac- 
teristic features  of  these  habitues,  col- 
lectively and  individually,  are  those  of 
talent  and  sagacity  in  high  working 
order. 

Whether  trade  be  brisk  or  dull,  high 
'change  is  equally  crowded ;  and  the 
difference  of  its  aspect  at  the  two 
periods  is  sufficiently  striking.  In  stir- 
ring times,  every  man  on  'change  seems 
as  if  he  belonged  to  the  community 
of  the  dancing  dervishes,  being  utterly 
incapable  of  remaining  for  a  single 
second  in  one  place.  It  is  the  prin- 
ciple of  a  Manchester  man,  that 
"  naught  is  done  while  aught  remains 
to  do ; "  let  him  but  have  the  oppor- 
tunity, and  he  wiU  undertake  to  supply 
all  the  markets  between  China  and  Peru, 
and  wiU  be  exceedingly  vexed  if  he  has 
lost  the  chance  of  selling  some  yam  at 
Japan,  on  his  way.  When  trade  is 
dull,  the  merchants  and  factors  stand 
motionless  as  statues,  or  move  about 
as  slowly  as  if  they  followed  a  funeral — 
the  look  of  eagerness  exchanged  for 
that  of  dogged  obstinacy ;  it  seems  to 
say — "  My  mind  is  made  up  to  lose  so 


FAMOUS  COMMERCIAL  RESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 


293 


much,  but  I  am  resolved  to  lose  no 
more."  An  increase  of  sternness  and 
inflexibility  accompanies  the  decline 
of  the  Manchester  trade,  and  foreigners 
declare  that  the  worst  time  to  expect  a 
bargain  is  a  season  of  distress. 


Free  Trade. 

The  well  known  Hussey  Burgh,  at  the 
opening  of  the  session  of  parliament 
in  1777,  moved  the  usual  address  to  the 
king,  in  which  was  the  following  sen- 
tence :  "  It  is  not  by  temporary  expe- 
dients, but  by  an  extension  of  trade, 
that  Ireland  can  be  ameliorated."  On 
the  reading  of  this  paragraph.  Flood, 
who  was  seated  in  the  vice-treasurer's 
place,  said,  audibly.  "  Why  not  a  free 
trade?"  The  amendment  electrified 
the  house ;  the  words  were  adopted 
by  his  friend,  and  the  motion  was 
carried  unanimously.  It  was  a  bold 
commercial  stroke,  accomplished  with 
a  master's  skill  and  brevity. 


Animated  Scenes  at  the  French 
iExchangre. 

The  spirit  which  animates  the  French 
Exchange  wakes  up  at  one  o'clock  pre- 
cisely. The  stroke  of  the  clock  gives 
the  signal  of  business.  At  this  sound 
everything  is  in  motion ;  a  thousand 
cries  are  sent  forth  ;  a  universal  shout 
fills  the  vast  hall,  and  strikes  the  roof. 
The  "basket" — corbeille — a  kind  of 
circular  balcony  occupying  the  east 
end  of  the  hall,  around  which  sixty 
brokers  crowd,  bristles  with  threaten- 
ing arms,  and  furious  memorandum 
books.  In  the  wink  of  an  eye,  the 
floor  is  covered  with  a  multitude  of 
little  torn  bits  of  paper ;  these  are  the 
orders  of  purchase  and  sale,  sent  by 
their  principals,  and  the  answers  re- 
turned by  the  brokers.  Iron  railings 
keep  off  the  profane  vulgar,  who  besiege 
the  basket  on  all  sides,  and  whose  con- 
tinual buzz  mixes  with  the  shriekings 
of  the  brokers,  and  of  the  pages  of  the 
Exchange.     A  general  stamping  and 


buzzing — a  perpetual  coming  and 
going,  as  in  an  ant  hill  or  a  bee  hive 
— seeming  confusion  yet  perfect  order ; 
— such  is  the  aspect  of  the  Exchange 
from  one  o'clock  to  three. 

From  the  gallery  above,  which  is 
also  thronged  with  multitudes  of  the 
curious,  a  strange  spectacle  is  presented 
by  this  furnace  in  full  blast,  where 
writhe,  like  twigs  in  the  flame,  the 
most  violent  passions  of  the  human 
heart.  The  floor  of  fine  and  well-swept 
sand,  which  surrounds  the  centre  of  the 
parquet,  or  inclosure,  is  simply  the 
spitting-box  of  the  brokers.  These 
threatening  cries — this  defiance — these 
exorcisms — are  good  natured  words 
and  pantomines,  always  the  same,  and 
meaning  "  I  have  fifty  Northerns  1 " 
"  I'll  take  ten  thousand  of  the  Fivei  ! 
two  thousand  of  the  Threes  !  "  "  Let 
me  have  some  Premiums,  early  day — 
next  day  1 "  "  Let  me  have  some  Pied- 
mont ! "  "  I'll  sell  some  Gas ! "  "  Who 
wants  Zinc  ? "  Here  is  Bank ! "  "  Here 
is  City  ! "  &c.,  &c., 

That  personage  who  from  time  to  time 
raises  his  voice  in  a  corner  of  the  Ex- 
change, and  whose  purple  face  rises 
above  all  other  heads,  thanks  to  the  stool 
which  forms  his  pedestal,  is  the  muezzin 
of  this  mosque — ^the  auctioneer  of  the 
Exchange — the  person  whose  duty  it 
is  to  minute  and  announce  the  rates  of 
public  stock  as  they  are  ascertained. 
At  right  angles  with  the  inclosure,  on 
entering  by  the  fagade,  a  sort  of  human 
alley-way  is  opened  through  the  crowd, 
in  order  to  afford  a  passage  for  the 
brokers'  clerks,  who  go  and  come.  Two 
similar,  but  shorter  alley-ways,  nm  to 
the  right  and  the  left  of  the  basket, 
like  the  two  arms  of  a  cross.  These 
three  openings  of  the  inclosure  are 
incessantly  crowded  with  orders  of 
sale  and  purchase,  which  are  sent  to 
the  brokers  by  the  busy  messengers, 
who  bear  the  official  insignia  em- 
broidered conspicuously  on  the  coat- 
collar. 

The  lower  sides  of  the  hall,  furnished 


294 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


■with  benches  at  wide  intervals,  serve 
as  a  promenade  for  the  sages  of  the 
portico — the  dreamers  and  the  idle. 


The  Origin  of  the  Cleaxing:  House. 

Not  many  years  after  the  London 
bankers  had  ceased  to  issue  notes,  the 
inconvenience  of  making  all  payments 
in  Bank  of  England  notes  and  gold, 
had  become  so  great,  that  some  change 
was  indispensably  necessary ;  "when  the 
plan  of  adjusting  each  other's  daily 
payments  by  an  interchange  of  liabil- 
ities was  adopted  as  the  best  mode  of 
economizing  the  use  of  money.  At  first 
the  system  adopted  was  of  the  most 
primitive  kind,  and  certainly  not  the 
safest.  The  clerks  of  the  various  bank- 
ing houses  used  to  perform  the  opera- 
tion of  exchanges  at  the  comers  of  the 
streets,  and  on  the  top  of  a  post.  They 
then  met,  by  appointment,  at  a  public 
house ;  but,  from  the  insecurity  of  these 
arrangements,  it  was  at  last  thought 
best  that  the  principal  city  bankers 
should  rent  a  house  near  the  old  post 
office  in  Lombard  street.  This  house 
was  called  the  Clearing  House. 


Derivation  of  the  Commercial  Term 
Sonrse. 

The  original  name  of  bourse,  given 
to  edifices  for  the  accommodation  of 
merchants,  is  thus  stated :  There  was, 
in  former  times,  a  square  commodiously 
situated  in  the  middle  of  the  city  of 
Bruges,  in  which  stood  a  large  building 
that  had  been  erected  by  the  noble 
family  of  La  Bourse,  whose  coat  of 
arms,  on  its  wall,  was  three  purses. 
The  merchants  of  Bruges  made  this  old 
house  the  place  of  their  daily  assem- 
blies; and  when  afterward  they  went 
to  the  fairs  of  Antwerp  and  Mons,  they 
called  the  places  they  found  there  for 
the  assembling  of  merchants,  by  the 
name  of  La  Bourse,  or  the  Bourse. 


Reduction  of  Custom-House  Duties  :— 
"  Death  to  the  Beet-Root !  " 

The  news  of  the  reduction  of  the 
customs  duty  on  sugar  was  celebrated 
with  great  enthusiasm  in  the  towns 
and  cities  of  France — nowhere  more 
joyously  than  in  Havre.  Not  only 
were  all  the  ships  in  the  harbor  gayly 
dressed,  and  the  houses  profusely 
adorned  with  tri-colored  fiags,  but  the 
laboring  class,  whose  work  had  been 
so  diminished  by  the  smallness  of  the 
cargoes  brought  by  ships  from  the  col- 
onies, paraded  the  streets  in  great 
numbers,  preceded  by  a  baimer,  with 
a  sugarcane  surmounted  by  a  nosegay, 
below  which  was  a  beet-root  covered 
with  crape,  and  bearing  the  inscription 
"  Death  to  the  Beet-root ! " 


liUdicrous  Custom-House 
examinations. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  lynx-eyed 
scrutiny  and  annoying  detail  of  the 
British  custom-house  officers.  Upon 
the  arrival  of  a  vessel  from  the  Conti- 
nent, for  instance,  the  passengers  are 
asked  for  their  trunk  keys,  and  they 
look  as  if  they  were  about  to  offer  to 
the  British  Government  their  entire 
stock  of  movables.  Each  has  his  sin- 
gle carpet  bag,  and  waits  his  turn.  The 
first  bag  opened  may  exhibit  an  old 
coat,  a  hair  brush,  a  checked  shirt,  an 
empty  flask,  and  a  toothbrush;  the 
next,  a  checked  shirt,  an  empty  flask, 
and  a  hair  brush ;  the  third  contains 
an  empty  flask,  a  hair  brush,  and  a 
checked  shirt.  Then  comes  a  bag 
which  actually  contains  a  large  portion 
of  dirty  striped  linen,  which  one  of  the 
men  engaged  in  the  search  begins  to 
rummage  with  a  minuteness  and  curi- 
osity which,  after  the  very  general  way 
of  disposing  of  the  other  things,  seems 
quite  surprising.  The  truth  is,  the 
man  has  smelt  brandy  in  the  clothes, 
and  is  looking  out  for  the  bottle.  His 
search  for  it  is  very  much  like  that  of 
Page  for  Falstaff  in  the  buck-basket, 


FAMOUS  COMMERCIAL  RESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 


295 


and,  as  it  turns  out,  is  as  little  suc- 
cessful. 


Business  in  London  at  Four  o'Clock. 

A  GRAPHIC  picture— though  not  very 
complimentary — of  "  Commercial  Lon- 
don "  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
may  be  seen  in  the  following,  from  the 
pen  of  North  : — Attorneys  are  cheating 
their  clients,  or  assisting  them  to  cheat 
other  people.  Merchants  are  calculat- 
ing the  chances  of  the  markets,  like 
gamblers  inventing  martingales.  Clerks 
are  adding  up  figures  as  clocks  add  up 
minutes.  Cashiers  and  secretaries  are 
reflecting  on  the  facilities  of  an  im- 
promptu voyage  to  California.  Direc- 
tors of  companies  are  "  cooking  "  the 
accounts  of  their  shareholders.  Waiters 
at  Joe's,  Sam's,  Tom's,  Betsy's,  and 
other  chop  houses,  whose  proprietors 
are  apparently  more  proud  of  their 
Christian  names  than  usual,  order 
countless  chops,  through  patent  gutta- 
percha telegraphs.  Cooks  baste  them- 
selves with  half  and  half,  while  roast- 
ing before  their  fires,  like  Fox's  mar- 
tyrs, bound  to  the  steaks  of  their  ty- 
rants. Crossing-sweepers  are  industri- 
ously cleaning  streets  as  dry  as  carpets, 
and  begging  of  passengers  as  charitable 
as  cannibals.  Usurers  are  meeting  gen- 
tlemen who  want  to  borrow  money  at 
any  rate  of — non-payment.  Adven- 
turers are  keeping  appointments  with 
capitalists  they  hope  to  drag  into 
speculations ;  capitalists  are  contriving 
monopolies  by  which  to  crush  non-cap- 
italist adventurers.  Stock  brokers  are 
playing  money  tricks  on  the  Stock  Ex- 
change. Hebrew  gold-kings  are  manu- 
facturing intelligence  to  astonish  the 
stock  brokers.  Couriers  are  dashing 
oflF  with  the  commands  of  London 
financiers  to  foreign  potentates.  Mes- 
sengers are  arriving  from  the  sham,  en- 
treating aid  from  the  real  sovereigns  of 
Europe.  And  the  plenipotentiaries  of 
that  greater  monarch  still — the  daily 
press  —  are    calmly    overlooking    the 


whole  anthill,  with  sublime  indiffer- 
ence to  the  struggles  of  its  busy  insects, 
and  generalizing  for  millions  the  knowl- 
edge which,  even  to  those  in  the  midst 
of  the  bustle,  is  too  often  but  semi-ob- 
scurity and  chromatropic  confusion. 


Merchants  and  Business  Resorts  in 
Moscow. 

The  mercantile  portion  of  Moscow 
presents  characteristics  peculiarly  its 
own.  The  quarter  in  which  the  retail 
business  is  carried  on  is  called  Kitai- 
gorod,  or  Chinese  Town,  a  name  which 
it  obtained  in  the  earliest  times  as  the 
seat  of  the  Chinese  trade.  At  present 
it  contains  two  Gostivie  dvori,  or  ba- 
zaars, resembling  that  of  St.  Petersburg 
in  arrangement,  but  far  surpassing  it 
in  variety  and  amount  of  business. 
One  can  hardly  think  of  a  desirable 
object,  for  the  sale  of  which  a  row  of 
stalls  is  not  to  be  foimd  there.  Each 
dealer  both  buys  and  sells  in  his  own 
line  of  business.  Specie  is  also  ranked 
among  the  articles  of  commercial  traf- 
fic. The  current  coins  of  all  countries 
are  to  be  purchased,  as  well  as  those 
which  time  or  circumstances  have  con- 
verted into  mere  articles  of  curiosity. 

The  mercantile  population  of  Mos- 
cow cling  to  the  same  antique  habits 
which  distinguish  the  commercial 
classes  in  St.  Petersburg;  indeed,  na- 
tionality is  much  more  developed  in 
the  former  place.  St.  Petersburg  is  a 
chameleon,  the  color  of  which  changes 
from  contrast.  The  foreigner  thinks  it 
Russian,  while  to  the  native  of  Moscow 
it  appears  a  foreign  city.  The  comfort- 
able tradesmen  in  Moscow  have  a  quar- 
ter to  themselves ;  and  while  their  ser- 
vants keep  the  shops,  the  bearded 
owners  chat  with  one  another  in  the 
street.  They  live  in  indolent  resigna- 
tion on  whatever  fortune  sends  them, 
and  their  language  is  proverbially  that 
of  careless  indifference. 


296 


COMMERCIAL  AND   BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Sailway  Clearinir  House. 

On  account  of  the  diflSculty  which 
the  multitude  of  English  railway  com- 
panies found  in  keeping  their  mutual 
accounts,  they  adopted,  some  years  ago, 
a  system  analogous  to  that  of  the 
"  clearing  house  "  established  by  bank- 
ers and  merchants  in  large  cities.  The 
clearing  house,  carried  on  in  the  inter- 
est of  mercantile  classes,  is,  it  is  known, 
an  establishment  which  keeps  up  a  sort 
of  imaginary  debtor  and  creditor  ac- 
count with  all  the  bankers  and  mer- 
chants. The  latter  send  their  bills  and 
checks,  not  to  each  other,  for  payment, 
but  to  the  clearing  house,  where  they 
are  sorted  and  classed  under  the  name 
of  the  firm  which  is  to  pay  them.  As 
four  o'clock  approaches,  each  banker's 
debits  for  the  day  are  arranged  in  one 
column  in  a  printed  form,  and  his  cred- 
its in  the  other ;  and  the  payment  of  a 
small  sum  of  money,  either  to  him  or 
by  him,  may  balance  a  complicated  list 
of  large  sums. 

It  is  this  convenient  principle,  as  ap- 
plied in  their  mutual  dealings  in  re- 
spect to  passengers,  merchandise,  mile- 
age, and  lost  luggage,  which  the  rail- 
way companies  have  adopted.  In  a 
street  near  the  vast  Euston  station — the 
great  root  whence  most  of  the  railroad 
lines  spring — ^is  a  plain  doorway,  with 
a  plain  plate  bearing  the  plain  inscrip- 
tion— Railway  Clearing  HotrsE. 

Few  passers  by  ever  think,  or  could 
think  to  any  purpose,  of  what  is  done 
within  that  doorway ;  few  would  ima- 
gine that  commercial  accounts  to  a  stu- 
pendous extent  are  there  daily  settled, 
by  clerks  more  numerous  and  in  rooms 
more  extensive  than  those  employed 
by  the  most  world-renowned  banker. 
The  building  was  constructed  at  the 
joint  expense  of  all  the  companies, 
who  also  bear  the  charge  of  salaries 
and  office  expenses.  The  companies  all 
elect  deputies  or  delegates,  who  form, 
collectively,  a  committee  for  managing 
affairs — or  rather,  there  is  a  manager, 


to  carry  on  all  the  operations  of  the  es- 
tablishment, while  the  delegates  attend 
principally  to  seeing  after  the  interests 
of 'their  respective  companies.  There 
are  several  hundred  clerks,  who  have 
the  management  and  adjustment  of  ac- 
counts, and  the  amount  involved  annu- 
ally is  said  to  be  from  thirty  to  forty 
million  dollars.  There  ia  an  excellent 
library,  news  room,  reading  room,  etc., 
combined  with  the  vast  business  apart- 
ments of  this  great  concern. 


Lloyd's  Establishment,  London. 

The  designation  Lloyd's,  so  well 
known  in  the  mercantile  world,  origi- 
nated with  a  person  of  the  name  of 
Lloyd,  who  kept  a  cojffee  house  in  Ab- 
church  lane,  Lombard  street.  From 
the  vicinity  of  this  house  to  the  old 
royal  exchange,  it  speedily  became  a 
rendezvous  of  merchants  for  news,  and 
for  the  transaction  of  business.  It  was 
afterward  removed  to  Pope's  Head  al- 
ley, and  thence  again,  in  1774,  to  the 
Royal  Exchange.  After  the  destruction 
of  the  Exchange,  in  1838,  by  fire,  which 
originated  in  Lloyd's,  the  business  was 
carried  on  in  the  South  Sea  House,  in 
Old  Broad  street,  where  it  remained 
until  the  opening  of  the  present  Royal 
Exchange  in  1844,  when  it  was  removed 
to  its  now  splendid  apartments. 

These  rooms  are  frequented  by  un- 
derwriters, merchants,  ship  owners,  ship 
and  merchandise  brokers,  and  others, 
chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
shipping  intelligence,  and  of  transact- 
ing business  connected  with  marine  in- 
surance. The  principal  room  is  that  of 
the  underwriters,  in  which  two  enor- 
mous ledgers  lie  constantly  open ;  the 
one  containing  notices  of  speakings,  or 
ships  spoken  with,  and  arrivals  of  ves- 
sels at  their  various  destinations;  the 
other  recording  distances  at  sea.  The 
immense  amount  of  insurance  business 
done  at  Lloyd's  may  be  appreciated 
when  it  is  said,  that  the  value  of  the 
interest  annually  insured  at  the  present 


FAMOUS  COMMERCIAL  RESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 


297 


is  estimated  at  about  $200,000,000. 
The  shipping  intelligence  received  at 
Lloyd's  is  furnished  by  responsible 
agents,  in  the  especial  employ  of  the 
establishment,  in  almost  every  port. 


One  Thousand  UliUion  Pounds'  Busi< 
ness  Annually  at  the  Iiondon  Clear- 
ing: House. 

On  his  "Visit  to  the  Bank  of 
France,"  by  Francis  Lloyd,  he  says: 
I  explained  to  the  regents  of  the  bank 
the  operations  of  the  London  Clearing 
House ;  that  system  so  economical  of 
time  and  trouble,  and  without  "which 
concentration  and  rapid  settlement  the 
enormous  balances  between  the  bank- 
ing houses  in  the  great  emporium  of 
the  commercial  world  could  not  be  so 
promptly  struck — the  wheels  of  our 
complicated  monetary  system  could 
not  revolve  so  evenly  and  quickly.  I 
have  always  thought  that  the  system 
of  making  bills,  drawn  from  whatever 
quarter  of  the  world,  or  from  whatever 
town  or  village  in  Great  Britain,  upon 
all  parts  of  Great  Britain,  payable  in 
one  place — ^that  is,  as  effected  daily  by 
one  hour's  adjustment  of  the  clearing 
house — that  such  united  regulation  and 
acceleration  of  finance  are  to  the  com- 
plex machinery  of  banking  what  the 
flywheel  and  governor  are  to  the  steam 
engine. 

Lnagine  the  regent's  surprise  when  I 
told  him  that  in  the  London  clearing 
room — a  plaiu  room,  on  part  of  the  site 
of  the  old  post  office  in  Lombard  street 
— a  clerk  from  each  private  bank  in 
London  attended  twice  a  day  but  for 
half  an  hour ;  and  commercial  obliga- 
tions were  collectively  discharged  to  the 
amount  of  three  millions  sterling  every 
day  in  the  year,  with  not  more  than  a 
fifteenth  of  this  sum  in  bank  notes. 
That,  as  to  using  coin  (silver  and  cop- 
per), I  could  readily  picture  to  myself 
the  contemptuous  and  derisive  expres- 
sion of  the  face  which  the  most  juve- 
nile of  those  clearing  clerks  would  as- 


sume at  the  bare  suggestion.  A  thou- 
sand millions  of  pounds  sterling,  I  told 
him,  were  paid  last  year  in  this  room 
by  those  clerks,  not  more  than  forty  in 
number — a  sum  larger  than  the  nation- 
al debt ;  and  that  all  the  money  used 
for  the  operation — this'  balancing  of  a 
year's  commercial  enterprise  in  all  quar- 
ters of  the  globe — was  effected  without 
a  single  error  or  moment's  delay,  and 
with  bits  of  paper  only,  viz.,  the  promis- 
sory notes  of  the  Bank  of  England. 


'Change  Alley  as  a  Business  Besort. 

The  centre  of  financial  jobbing  in 
London  is  in  'Change  alley  and  its  ad- 
jacencies. The  limits  are  easily  sur- 
rounded in  a  minute  and  a  half.  Step- 
ping out  of  Jonathan's  into  the  aUey, 
you  turn  your  face  full  south ;  moving 
on  a  few  paces,  and  then  turning  due 
east,  you  advance  to  Garraway's ;  from 
thence,  going  out  at  the  other  door, 
you  go  on  still  east  into  Birchin  lane, 
and  then,  halting  a  little  at  the  sword- 
blade  bank,  you  immediately  face  to 
the  north,  enter  Comhill,  visit  two  or 
three  petty  provinces  there  on  your 
way  to  the  west;  and  thus  having 
boxed  your  compass,  and  sailed  round 
the  stock-jobbing  globe,  you  turn  into 
Jonathan's  again.  Such  is  the  descrip- 
tion given  by  a  pamphleteer  of  this 
depot  of  the  dealers  and  jobbers  in  the 
funds  and  stocks  market — long  so  fa- 
mous throughout  the  business  world. 
Here  assembled  the  sharper  and  the 
saint ;  here  jostled  one  another  the  Jew 
and  the  Gentile ;  here  met  the  courtier 
and  the  citizen ;  here  the  calmness  of 
the  gainer  contrasted  with  the  despair 
of  the  loser ;  and  here  might  be  seen 
the  carriage  of  some  minister,  into 
which  the  head  of  his  broker  was  anx- 
iously stretched,  to  gain  the  intelli- 
gence which  was  to  raise  or  depress 
the  market.  Li  one  comer  might  be 
witnessed  the  anxious,  eager  counte- 
nance of  the  occasional  gambler,  in 
strange  contrast  with  the  calm,  cool 


298 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


demeanor  of  the  man  whose  regular 
trade  it  was  to  deceive.  In  another, 
the  Hebrew  measured  his  craft  with 
that  of  the  Quaker,  and  scarcely  came 
off  victorious  in  the  contest. 


AiuTisiiig:  Perplexities  at  the  Custom 
House. 

The  occasional  importation  of  arti- 
cles which  are  not  enumerated  in  the 
tariff  of  custom-house  duties  is  in  some 
instances  productive  of  amusing  per- 
plexity. A  singular  case  of  this  nature 
occurred  once  at  the  London  custom 
house,  the  solution  of  which  was  beyond 
the  skill  of  all  the  oflScials,  and  was 
only  reached  at  last  by  the  native  power 
of  the  article  itself.  This  case  was  the 
importation  of  some  ice  from  Norway. 
A  doubt  was  started  as  to  what  duty  it 
ought  to  pay,  and  this  point  was  re- 
ferred from  the  custom  house  to  the 
treasury  department,  and  from  the 
treasury  to  the  board  of  trade.  Oddly 
enough,  it  was  the  opinion  of  the  latter 
officials,  that  the  ice  might  be  intro- 
duced on  the  payment  of  the  duty  on 
dry  goods — but,  as  the  thing  turned  out, 
"  the  ice  was  dissolved  before  the  ques- 
tion was  solved."  In  another  case,  the 
officials  came  to  an  equally  dead  lock : 
A  gentleman  had  imported  a  mummy 
from  Egypt,  and  the  officers  of  the  cus- 
toms were  not  a  little  puzzled  as  to 
what  to  do  with  this  non-enumerated 
article.  These  remains  of  mortality — 
muscles  and  sinews,  pickled  and  pre- 
served three  thousand  years  ago — could 
not  be  deemed  a  raw  material,  and, 
therefore,  upon  deliberation,  it  was  de- 
termined to  tax  them  as  a  manufac- 
tured article.  The  importer,  anxious 
that  his  mummy  should  not  be  seized, 
concluded,  before  the  decision  was 
made,  just  to  state  its  value  at  two 
thousand  dollars — an  unfortunate  de- 
claration, which  cost  him  one  thousand 
dollars,  being  at  the  rate  of  fifty  per 
cent,  on  the  "manufactured  merchan- 
diae." 


Duty  on  Pictures. 

Mb.  N.,  an  American,  used  to  relate, 
with  much  good  humor,  the  following 
adventure,  which  happened  to  him  on 
his  arrival  at  the  custom  house  at  Do- 
ver, England.  Being  an  amateur  of 
pictures,  he  had  brought  with  him  a 
view  of  the  Falls  of  Niagara,  which  he 
had  himself  painted  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Canada.  The  size  of  the  pic- 
ture was  about  six  square  feet,  and  as 
the  duty  on  painted  canvas  was  rated 
at  one  guinea  the  foot,  the  demand  was 
consequently  the  very  considerable  one 
of  six  guineas.  Mr.  N.  demurred  to 
such  a  charge  on  a  picture  of  no  value 
to  any  one  but  himself,  and  appealed 
to  the  director  of  the  customs,  who, 
however,  informed  him  that  the  regula- 
tion was  positive,  and  could  not  be  de- 
parted from.  Mr.  N.  still  complained 
of  the  exorbitant  duty.  "  Very  well," 
said  the  director,  "I  only  know  one 
way  for  you  to  avoid  the  payment  of 
it ;  leave  your  picture  here  for  six 
months ;  as  you  are  the  sole  proprietor, 
no  one  will  claim  it,  and  at  the  end  of 
that  period  I  shall  put  it  up  for  sale. 
Of  course,  no  one  will  purchase  such  a 
horrid  davb,  which  is  certainly  not 
worth  six  shillings,  and  you  wifl  then 
have  it  for  nothing."  With  this  timely 
advice  Mr.  N.  complied,  and  in  due 
season  obtained  his  picture. 


JEUgli  'Changre  Hours. 

.  High  'change  hour  is  fixed  at  one 
o'clock  by  the  merchants  of  Philadel- 
phia, New  York  exchange  assembles 
at  two  and  three  quarters  o'clock,  but 
is  not  fully  attended  until  three  and 
one  quarter  o'clock.  In  Liverpool,  the 
hours  are  from  two  to  five  o'clock; 
and,  if  the  visitor  vrishes  to  be  sure  of 
seeing  the  persons  who  frequent  it,  he 
may  be  obliged  to  wait  or  waste  three 
hours  before  he  can  accomplish  his 
purpose.  In  the  London  exchange, 
the  crowd  begins  to  pour  in  at  four 


FAMOUS  COMMERCIAL  RESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 


299 


o'clock,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  it 
is  "  high  'change."  At  half  past  four 
it  ceases,  when  beadles  go  round  with 
large  bells,  with  which  they  make  such 
a  deafening  noise  that  the  assembly  is 
soon  dispersed,  the  gates  are  locked, 
and  no  one  is  allowed  to  enter  till  the 
next  day. 

In  European  cities,  all  the  principal 
houses  or  firms  have  regular  places  of 
resort  on  'change.  For  example,  Mr. 
Rothschild  is  always  to  be  foimd,  on 
foreign  post  days,  on  the  "Italian 
Walk;"  the  Messrs.  Baring,  Brothers 
&  Co.  are  to  be  found  at  the  column 
which  they  have  frequented  for  years ; 
those  merchants  who  are  in  the  Ameri- 
can trade  frequent  the  "  American 
Walk ;  "  those  who  are  in  the  Russian 
and  Swedish  trade  frequent  the  "  Bal- 
tic Walk ; "  and  those  in  the  German 
trade,  frequent  the  "  Hamburg  Walk." 

In  Amsterdam,  the  exchange  bell  be- 
gins to  ring  at  half  past  two  o'clock,  and 
if  all  persons  who  wish  to  enter  the  gates 
before  the  clock  strikes  three,  do  not 
succeed  in  getting  in,  they  are  com- 
pelled to  pay  a  small  fee,  amounting  to 
eight  or  ten  cents,  for  admission.  If 
any  one  wishes  to  enter  at  half  past 
three,  he  is  obliged  to  pay  a  fine  of 
half  a  guilder.  So  much  importance 
is  attached  to  regular  attendance  on 
'change,  that  if  a  house  is  not  repre- 
sented, either  personally  or  by  one  of 
the  confidential  clerks,  it  is  considered 
that  a  death  has  occurred  in  the  family 
of  some  one  of  the  partners,  or  that  bank- 
ruptcy or  some  other  misfortune  has  oc- 
curred. High  'change  at  Antwerp  is  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  the 
gates  are  closed,  after  which,  to  gain  ad- 
mittance, a  fee  of  half  a  franc  is  paid. 


First  East  India  Company  House. 

The  tradition  is,  that  the  East  India 
Company,  incorporated  December  31, 
1600,  first  transacted  their  business  in 
the  great  room  of  the  Nag's  Head  inn, 
opposite  St.  Botolph's  church,  Bishops- 


gate  street.  The  maps  of  London,  soon 
after  the  great  fire  of  1666,  place  the 
India  House  on  a  part  of  its  present  site 
in  Leadenhall  street.  Here  originally 
stood  the  mansion  of  Alderman  Kerton, 
built  in  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Sixth, 
rebuilt  on  the  accession  of  Elizabeth, 
and  enlarged  by  its  next  purchaser.  Sir 
W,  Craven,  lord  mayor  in  1610.  Here 
was  bom  the  great  Lord  Craven,  who, 
in  1701,  leased  his  house  and  a  tenement 
in  Lime  street  to  the  company,  at  one 
hundred  pounds  a  year.  A  scarce 
Dutch  etching,  still  preserved,  shows 
this  house  to  have  been  half  timbered, 
its  lofty  gable  surmounted  with  two 
dolphins  and  a  figure  of  a  mariner,  or, 
as  some  say,  the  first  governor;  be- 
neath are  merchant  ships  at  sea,  the 
royal  arms,  and  those  of  the  company. 
This  famous  and  grotesque  structure 
was  taken  down  in  the  year  1726,  and 
upon  its  site  was  erected  the  old  East 
India  House,  portions  of  which  yet  re- 
main— although  the  present  stone  front, 
two  hundred  feet  long,  and  a  great  part 
of  the  house,  was  buUt  in  1798. 


Romance  and  Trade. 

Theke  is  nothing  so  sentimental  in 
the  columns  of  a  daily  newspaper  as 
the  article  devoted  to  the  state  of  the 
markets.  We  seldom  peruse  it — quoth 
Punch — without  a  tendency  to  tears, 
which  are  only  checked  by  the  recol- 
lection that  it  is  only  on  bags  of  cofiee, 
bales  of  cotton,  parcels  of  pepper,  and 
barrels  of  flour,  that  we  are  exhausting 
our  useless  sympathy. 

We,  however,  defy  any  one  to  be 
otherwise  than  moved  by  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  markets,  which  is  evidently 
the  production  of  a  writer  who  luxuri- 
ates in  a  strain  of  melancholy  tender- 
ness, that  is  excluded  by  universal  con- 
sent from  every  other  portion  of  the 
newspaper.  The  literary  sentimentalist, 
finding  no  market  among  the  booksel- 
lers for  his  goods,  has  gone  to  the  very 
markets  themselves,  and  has  secured  a 


300 


COMMERCIAL  AKD  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


comer  in  the  journals,  where  he  may 
indulge  without  restraint  his  tendency 
to  pathos. 

Let  us  take  a  specimen  of  that  aflFect- 
ing  style  of  writing,  which  has  found 
its  way,  appropriately  enough,  to  Min- 
cing Lane  :  "  An  improved  feeling  has 
again  begun  to  show  itself  in  the  coffee 
market,  where  dulness  had  until  lately 
prevailed,  and  sugars  began  to  assume 
a  livelier  aspect." 

Surely  this  must  be  written  by  some 
fashionable  novelist  "  out  of  luck," 
whose  Rosa-Matilda-isms,  that  once 
used  to  cloy  the  circulating  libraries 
with  their  sweetness,  have  rushed  to 
the  sugar  cask  as  the  only  alternative 
to  avoid  the  butter  shop.  Substitute 
Augustus  Dan  vers  for  the  "  coffee  mar- 
ket," insert  Rosalie  in  the  place  of  "  su- 
gars," and  we  get  a  sentence  that  would 
seem  to  form  part  of  a  idelting  novel 
of  ten  years  back,  when  the  writers  of 
the  same  sort  of  stuff  could  command 
their  three  or  five  hundred  pounds  for 
an  adequate  lot  of  it.  The  paragraph, 
as  amended,  will  stand  thus  :  "  An  im- 
proved feeling  had  again  begun  to 
show  itself  in  Augustus  Danvers  (the 
coffee  market),  where  dulness  had  until 
lately  prevailed,  and  Rosalie  (sugars) 
began  to  assume  a  livelier  aspect." 

We  know  nothing  of  the  mysteries 
of  what  is  termed  the  "  staff"  of  a  daily 
paper ;  but  we  certainly  picture  to  our- 
selves the  writer  of  the  markets  as  a 
pale  gentleman,  with  a  forehead  bared 
to  its  highest,  a  Byron  tie,  a  turned- 
down  shirt  collar,  and  a  melancholy 
cast  of  countenance,  with  a  feminine 
tinge  of  the  romantic.  We  can  imagine 
him  walking  moodily  about  the  mar- 
kets, looking  out  anxiously  for  a 
glimpse  of  gloom  in  sugars,  and  feel- 
ing an  indescribable  satisfaction  in  the 
dulness  of  peppers.  Why  is  it  neces- 
sary that  wool  should  be  "  flat,"  Bengal 
figs  "  low,"  indigo  "  dull,"  rice  "  de- 
pressed," and  everything  that  seems 
nice  and  eatable  so  wretchedly  low- 
spirited  ?    It  is  seldom  we  meet  with  a 


bit  of  sensible  "  firmness  "  in  something 
or  other ;  but,  even  if  we  do,  we  are 
told  of  a  "  tendency  to  give  way,"  be- 
fore we  get  to  the  end  of  the  article. 


Hall  of  the  St.  Fetersburs  Exchange. 

The  hall  of  the  Exchange  in  St.  Pe- 
tersburg is  one  of  the  most  rare  places 
of  business  which  our  planet  affords. 
It  is  built  only  for  whispers.  An 
audible  conversation  was  never  held 
there.  Nothing  is  spoken  aloud  save 
mere  bagatelles.  "  How  is  your  good 
lady  ?  "  "  Oh,  we  enjoyed  exceedingly 
our  water  party  yesterday ;  we  were  at 
this  place  and  that,  at  such  a  one's  and 
such  a  one's."  "  Yes,  I  admit  that  A 
gives  excellent  dinners,  but  I  find  my- 
self more  comfortable  at  B's."  Nothing 
but  this  kind  of  conversation  is  spoken. 
But  when  two  persons  are  seen  to  put 
their  heads  together,  talk  in  the  lowest 
whispers,  and  palisade  themselves  in  a 
circle  with  their  backs,  so  that  not  a 
wedge  could  get  into  it,  then  there  is 
surely  something  in  the  wind,  a  bargain 
has  been  made — the  whispering  has  led 
to  some  result.  "  Tes,  sir."  "  No,  sir." 
"  Too  much — three  thousand — four — 
twenty — a  hundred  thousand."  "  Oc- 
tober." "  November."  "  London." 
"  HulL"  "  Baltimore."  "  Well,  I  will 
take  it."  "  Done  !  that  is  settled  then, 
Mr.  Curtins." 

In  the  six  side  rooms,  the  sugar  ba- 
kers, and  the  dealers  in  tallow,  com, 
and  timber,  have  established  them- 
selves, though  without  any  formal 
regulation  to  that  effect;  and  each 
class  has,  from  habit,  taken  possession 
of  a  particular  spot.  These  are  com- 
posed almost  exclusively  of  Russians, 
with  and  without  beard,  some  old  men 
still  in  kaftans,  others  in  modem 
French  coats.  Between  them  and  the 
lords  of  the  sea  in  the  centre,  are  the 
German  brokers,  with  silver  marks  at 
the  button  hole.  Lastly,  in  the  outer- 
most circles,  are  the  "  artelschtschiki," 
a  sort  of  messenger  class,  for  carrying 


FAMOUS  COMMERCIAL  RESORTS  AND  LOCALITIES. 


301 


letters  or  money,  and  performing  other 
errands,  one  of  whom  constantly  at- 
tends every  Petersburg  merchant ;  and 
these  are  always  Russians. 

This  assemblage  of  the  mercantile 
classes  of  St.  Petersburg  is  certainly 
the  largest  company  of  respectable  and 
polished  men  that  is  to  be  seen  in  Rus- 
sia, without  order  or  cross  of  any  kind. 
Besides  these  silver  marks,  which  are 
worn  by  the  brokers  in  their  business, 
as  a  sign  that  they  have  been  duly  ap- 
pointed and  sworn,  and  medals  of 
a  pound  weight  hanging  about  the 
necks  of  a  few  of  the  Russian  mer- 
chants, no  distinctions  are  seen — noth- 
ing but  black  frocks  and  simple  green 
surtouts.  An  observer  has  here  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  of  studying  the 
Russian  commercial  character,  and  wUl 
be  struck  with  the  difference  in  manner 
and  other  respects  between  the  mer- 
chants of  St.  Petersburg  and  those  of 
any  other  city. 


Hen  of  Letters  frequenting:  the  Share 
Hart. 

The  Hotel  de  Soissons,  in  Paris,  was 
made  famous  for  a  time  as  the  head- 
quarters of  John  Law,  while  blowing 
his  Mississippi  bubbles.  All  classes 
were  represented  in  the  eager  throng 
that  besieged  that  mart  of  financial 
lunacy.  This  hotel  was  the  property 
of  the  Prince  de  Carignan,  together 
with  the  adjoining  garden  of  several 
acres  in  the  rear.  Law  became  the 
purchaser  of  the  hotel,  at  an  enormous 
price,  paying  for  it  out  of  his  prodig- 
ious stock-jobbing  gains, — ^the  prince 
reserving  to  himself  the  magnificent 
gardens  for  his  personal  profit.  They 
contained  fine  statues,  beautiful  foun- 
tains, and  various  other  embellishments 
and  decorations. 

As  soon  as  Law  was  installed  in  his 
new  abode,  an  edict  was  published  (for 
there  were  high  oflScials  involved  in 
Law's  project),  forbidding  all  persons 
to  buy  or  sell  stock  anywhere  but  in 


the  gardens  of  the  Hotel  de  Soissons. 
In  the  midst,  among  the  trees,  about 
five  hundred  small  tents  and  pavilions 
were  erected,  for  the  convenience  of  the 
stock-jobbers.  Their  various  colors, 
the  gay  ribbons  and  banners  which 
floated  from  them,  the  busy  crowds 
which  passed  continually  in  and  out — 
the  incessant  hum  of  voices,  the  noise, 
the  music,  the  strange  mixture  of  busi- 
ness and  pleasure  on  the  countenances 
of  the  throng,  all  combined  to  give  the 
place  an  air  of  enchantment  that  quite 
enraptured  the  Parisians.  The  Prince 
de  Carignan  made  enormous  profits 
while  the  delusion  lasted. 

As  is  well  known,  all  classes  became 
enamored  with  Law's  dazzling  promises 
of  cent,  per  cent,  for  their  investments ; 
at  any  rate,  the-  exceptions  were  so  rare 
as  to  attract  attention.  One  day,  two 
sober,  quiet,  and  philosophic  men  of 
letters,  M.  de  la  Motte  and  the  Abb6 
Terrason,  were  heard  to  congratulate 
each  other  that  they,  at  least,  were  free 
from  this  strange  infatuation.  A  few 
days  afterward,  as  the  worthy  Abb6 
was  coming  out  of  the  Hotel  de  Sois- 
sons, whither  he  had  gone  to  buy  shares 
in  the  Mississippi,  whom  should  he  see 
but  his  friend  La  Motte  entering  for 
the  same  purpose. 

"  Ha  ! "  said  the  Abb6,  smiling,  "  is 
that  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  La  Motte,  pushing  past 
him  as  fast  as  he  was  able ;  "  and  can 
that  be  you  ?  " 

The  next  time  the  two  scholars  met, 
they  talked  of  philosophy,  of  science, 
and  of  religion,  but  neither  had  cour- 
age for  a  long  time  to  breathe  a  syl- 
lable about  the  Mississippi,  At  last, 
when  it  was  mentioned,  they  agreed 
that  a  man  ought  never  to  swear 
against  his  doing  any  one  thing,  and 
that  there  was  no  sort  of  extravagance 
of  which  even  a  wise  man  was  not  ca- 
pable. 

Something  like  this  was  the  case  of 
Gay,  the  poet.  Receiving  a  present 
from  his  friend  Mr.  Scraggs  of  some 


302 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


South  Sea  stock,  he  once  supposed  him- 
self to  be  master  of  twenty  thousand 
pounds.  His  friends  persuaded  him 
to  sell  his  share,  but  he  dreamed  of 
dignity  and  splendor,  and  could  not 
bear  to  obstruct  his  own  fortune.  He 
was  then  importuned  to  sell  as  much  as 
would  purchase  a  hundred  a  year  for 
life,  "  which,"  says  Fenton,  "  will  make 
you  sure  of  a  clean  shirt  and  a  shoulder 
of  mutton  every  day."  This  counsel 
was  rejected ;  the  "profit  and  principal 
were  lost,  and  Gay  sunk  imder  the  ca- 


lamity so  low  that  his  life  became  in 
danger. 

It  will  hardly  be  wondered  at,  how- 
ever, that  literary  men  should  have 
been  thus  beguiled,  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  so  multitudinous  was  the  crowd 
around  Law's  quarters,  and  so  eager 
were  all  classes  of  the  population  to 
buy  the  stock,  that  a  hump-backed 
man  who  stood  in  the  street  gained 
considerable  sums  by  lending  his  hump 
as  a  writing  desk  to  the  anxious  specu- 
lators! 


PAET  SIXTH. 


AwBODOTEa  OF  CoMMEUOIAL  AbT  AND  PHBASEOLOaT. 


PAET   SIXTH. 

Anecdotes  of  Oonmiercial  Art  and  Phraseology. 

ADVERTISEMENTS,  SIGN  BOARDS,  TRADE  HARKS,   TOKENS,   ENTELOPES,   LABELS,  INSCRIPTIONS, 
MOTTOES,  AND  TERMS — QUAINT,    CURIOUS,   GROTESQUE,   INGENIOUS,   AND  LAUGHABLE. 


The  great  skill  in  an  advertiser  is  chiefly  seen  in  the  style  which  he  makes  use  of.    He  is  to  men- 
tion "  the  universal  esteem  or  general  reputation  "  of  things  that  were  never  heard  of.— Tatler. 

Liheral  trade  is  good  scholarship  popularized,  and  commerce  is  literature  on  a  sign  board. — Akox. 


Adepts  in  Commercial  Puffing:. 

Packwood,  some  fifty  years  ago,  led 
the  way  in  England  of  liberal  and  sys- 
tematic advertising,  by  impressing  his 
razor  strop  indelibly  on  the  mind  of 
every  bearded  member  of  the  kingdom. 
Like  other  great  potentates,  he  boasted 
a  laureate  in  his  pay,  and  every  one 
remembers  the  reply  made  to  the  indi- 
viduals so  curious  to  know  who  drew 
up  his  advertisements:  *'La,  sir,  we 
keeps  a  poet ! " 

But  by  universal  consent,  the  world 
has  accorded  to  the  late  George  Eobins 
the  palm  in  this  style  of  commercial 
puffing.  His  advertisements  were 
really  artistically  written.  Like  Mar- 
tin, he  had  the  power  of  investing 
every  landscape  and  building  that 
he  touched  with  an  importance  and 
majesty  not  attainable  by  meaner 
hands.  He  did  perhaps  go  beyond  the 
yielding  line  of  even  poetical  license, 
when  he  described  one  portion  of  a  para- 
dise he  was  about  to  subject  to  public 
competition,  as  adorned,  among  other 
charms,  with  a  "  hanging  wood,"  which 
the  astonished  purchaser  found  out 
meant  nothing  more  nor  less  than  an 
old  gallows.  But  then  he  redeemed 
20 


slight  manoeuvres  of  this  kind  by 
touches  which  displayed  a  native  and 
overflowing  genius  for  puffing.  On 
one  occasion,  he  had  made  the  beauties 
of  an  estate  so  enchanting,  that  he 
found  it  necessary  to  blur  it  by  a  fault 
or  two,  lest  it  should  prove  too  bright 
and  good  "  for  human  nature's  daily 
food."  "  But  there  are  two  drawbacks  to 
this  property,"  sighed  out  this  Apostle 
of  the  Mart,  "  the  Utter  of  the  rose  leaves 
and  the  noise  of  the  nightingales^  Cer- 
tainly the  rhetoric  of  exquisite  puffing 
could  no  further  go. 


"Up  to  Snuff." 
In  the  days  when  every  London  shop- 
keeper had  a  sign  hanging  out  before 
his  door,  a  dealer  in  snuflF  and  tobacco 
on  Fish-street  hill  carried  on  a  large 
trade,  especially  in  tobacco,  for  his  shop 
was  greatly  frequented  by  sailors  from 
the  ships  in  the  river.  In  the  course 
of  time,  a  person  of  the  name  of  Fan- 
opened  a  shop  nearly  opposite,  and 
hung  out  his  sign  inscribed ; 

"  The  best  Tobacco  by  Farr." 

This — like  the  shoemaker's  incription, 
"  Adam  Strong  Shoemaker,"  so  well 
known — attracted  the  attention  of  the 


306 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


sailors,  who  left  the  old  shop  to  buy 
"the  best  tobacco  by  far."  The  old 
shopkeeper,  observing  that  his  oppo- 
nent obtained  nauch  custom  by  his  sign, 
had  a  new  one  put  up  at  his  door,  in- 
Bcribed : 

"  Far  better  Tobacco  than  the  best  Tobacco 
hy  Farr:' 
This  turned  the  tide  of  trade — his 
customera  came  back — and  finally  his 
opponent  found  himself  so  "  far"  in  the 
background  as  to  be  obliged  to  give 
up  business. 

Irish  Pun  on  a  Sign. 

An  Irishman  once  saw  the  popular 
sign  of  the  Rising  Sun  near  Seven  Dials, 
beneath  which  the  name  of  the  jovial 
landlord,  Aaron  Moon,  was  written 
with  only  the  initial  letter  of  the  Chris- 
tian name,  whereupon  he  exclaimed  to 
a  friend :  "  Och  !  Phelim,  dear,  see  here. 
They  talk  of  Irish  bulls ;  why,  here's  a 
fellow  now,  who  puts  up  the  Rising  Sun, 
and  calls  it  A  Moon  !  " 


Dean  Swift  and  the  Sarber's  Sign. 

Dean  Swift,  while  resident  on  his 
living  in  the  county  of  Meath,  was  daily 
shaved  by  the  village  barber,  who  be- 
came a  great  favorite  with  him.  Razor, 
while  lathering  him  one  morning,  said 
he  had  a  great  favor  to  request  of  his 
reverence — that  his  neighbors  had  ad- 
vised him  to  take  the  little  public 
house  at  the  corner  of  the  churchyard, 
which  he  had  done,  in  the  hope  that 
by  uniting  the  profession  of  publican 
with  his  own,  he  might  gain  a  better 
maintenance  for  his  family. 

"  Indeed,"  said  the  dean,  "  and  what 
can  I  do  to  promote  this  happy  union  ? " 

"  And  please  you,"  said  Razor,  "  some 
of  our  customers  have  heard  much  of 
your  reverence's  poetry ;  so  that,  if  you 
would  but  condescend  to  give  me  a 
smart  little  touch  in  that  way,  to  clap  un- 
der my  sign,  it  might  be  the  making  of 
me  and  mine  forever." 


"  But  what  do  you  intend  for  your 
sign  ?  "  says  the  dean. 

"  The  jolly  barber,  if  it  please  your 
reverence,  with  a  razor  in  one  hand  and 
a  full  pot  in  the  other." 

"  Well,"  rejoined  the  dean,  "  in  that 
case  there  can  be  no  great  difficulty  in 
supplying  you  with  a  suitable  inscrip- 
tion." So  taking  up  his  pen,  he  in- 
stantly scratched  the  following  "  smart 
little  touch  "  of  a  couplet,  which  was 
affixed  to  the  sign,  and  remained  there 
for  many  years : 

"  Rove  not  from  pole  to  pole,  but  step  in 
here. 
Where  nought  excels  the  shaving  but — ^the 
6cer." 


Killbury  and  Maimsworth  Bail  way's 
Advertisement. 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  KiU- 
bury  and  Maimsworth  line  of  Railway, 
respectfully  announce  that  they  intend 
starting  Excursion  Trains  during  the 
present  season,  to  run  at  greatly  reduced 
fares,  setting  out  from  Killbury  in  the 
morning,  getting  to  Maimsworth  at 
twelve,  and  returning,  with  as  many 
passengers  as  are  capable  of  being 
brought  back,  every  hour  of  the  fore- 
noon, up  to  twelve  o'clock,  or  later, 
according  to  the  state  of  the  engines, 
and  the  breakdowns  and  collisions — 
depending  on  management  of  the  en- 
gineers, brakesmen,  and  the  rest  of  the 
Company's  employes.  Owing  to  the 
prevailing  competition  occasioned  by 
the  overcrowded  state  of  the  medical 
profession,  the  Company  have  been  en- 
abled to  secure  the  services  of  a  numer- 
ous staff  of  experienced  surgeons,  who 
will  accompany  each  train,  together 
with  a  large  body  of  dressers  from  the 
principal  hospitals,  to  act  as  their  as- 
sistants— thus  seeing  practice,  for  which 
so  large  a  field  is  afforded  by  the  Kill- 
bury  and  Maimsworth  line.  Medical 
students  will  find  splendid  opportuni- 
ties for  amateur  surgery  in  these  excur- 
sions. Amputations  (under  chloroform, 
several  carboys  of  which  have  been  ob- 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


30^ 


tained  expressly  for  these  excursions) 
at  the  shortest  notice.  Tourniquets, 
with  directions  for  use,  in  each  car. 
Splints,  bandages,  and  every  other  com- 
fort and  convenience  for  the  mutilated, 
in  abundance  (supplied  by  the  Com- 
pany's own  manufactory),  gratuitously 
furnished. 


Earliest  Printed  Advertisements. 

The  very  first  advertisement  discov- 
erable in  any  newspaper  is  one  which 
refers  to  the  theft  of  two  horses.  It  is 
contained  in  an  early  number  of  an 
English  newspaper  called  the  Impartial 
Intelligencer,  published  in  the  year 
1648,  and  consequently  now  consider- 
ably more  than  two  centuries  old.  It 
was  inserted  by  a  gentleman  of  Can- 
dish,  in  Suffolk.  After  this,  these  noti- 
fications are  very  few  and  far  between 
for  several  years,  until  the  era  of  the 
London  Gazette. 

Next  to  the  above,  in  point  of  prece- 
dence, so  far  as  an  active  search  among 
the  earliest  newspapers  can  be  relied 
on,  is  an  advertisement  relating  to  a 
book,  which  is  entitled : 

"IRENODIA  GRATULATORIA,  an  He- 
oick  Poem ;  being  a  congratulatory  pane- 
gyrick  for  my  Lord  General's  late  return, 
summing  up  his  successes  in  an  exquisite 
manner. 

"  To  be  sold  by  John  Holden,  in  the  New 
Exchange,  London.  Printed  by  The.  New- 
court,  1652." 

The  above  appeared  in  the  January 
number  of  the  Parliamentary  paper, 
Mercuriua  Politicus.  It  is  evidently  a 
piece  of  flattery  to  Cromwell  upon  his 
victories  in  Ireland.  Booksellers  ap- 
pear, therefore,  to  have  been  the  first  to 
take  advantage  of  this  then  new  me- 
dium of  publicity,  and  they  have  con- 
tinued to  avail  themselves  very  liberally 
of  its  benefits  up  to  the  present  day. 


Boston  ISIercliants'  Business  Marks  or 
Tokens. 
There  are  some  interesting  speci- 
mens of  New  England  merchants'  marks, 
or  tokens,  of  an  ancient  date,  still  in 
existence.  Among  these  are  those  of 
Thomas  Sandbrook,  of  Boston,  and 
William  Holmes — the  former  bearing 
the  initials  T.  S.,  with  the  triangle  and 
cross ;  the  latter,  W.  H.,  with  a  rude 
figure  of  a  tree  between.  Another  is 
that  of  John  Mills,  of  Boston,  1651 ; 
James  Astwood,  of  Roxbury,  1653 ; 
and  Nicholas  Busby,  of  Watertown, 
1657.  That  of  Mills  bears  the  initials 
I.  M.,  the  triangle  and  cross  at  top,  a 
heart  pierced  with  an  arrow  at  the  bot- 
tom, six  stars,  and  some  other  figures ; 
that  of  Astwood,  the  initials  I.  A.,  with 
a  branch  between  them ;  and  that  of 
Busby,  the  initials  N.  B.  united,  the 
triangle,  some  scrolls,  etc. 


New  Tork  Business  Tokens. 

OccAsiONAii  memorials  of  old  New 
York  business  firms,  of  the  last  century, 
come  to  light,  and  are  of  peculiar  in- 
terest. A  piece  in  copper,  issued  by 
Messrs.  Matts,  New  York  jewellers,  in 
1789,  appears  to  have  been  the  first 
business  token  put  in  circulation  in 
that  city.  It  bears  on  one  side  a  clock, 
on  the  other  an  American  eagle ;  one  of 
these  was  sold  at  auction,  a  short  time 
ago,  for  $1.63|.  Talbot,  AUum  &  Lee, 
New  York,  merchants  in  the  India 
trade,  issued  their  "  one  cent "  in  1794 
— having  an  emblematic  figure  of  liber- 
ty guarding  a  bale  of  goods  on  one 
side,  and  a  ship  under  full  sail  on  the 
other;  one  of  these  tokens,  issued  in 
1794,  was  sold  at  auction  for  the  sum 
of  $1.25,  and  another,  issued  by  this 
house  in  1795,  brought  $2.25. 


Inscriptions  on  Trade  Coins. 

The  trade  coins,  once  so  common 
among  British  shopkeepers,  usually 
bore  on  one  side  the  issuer's  name,  and 


308 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


on  the  other  his  address  and  calling ; 
sometimes  a  sign  and  date.  Few  trades 
were  imrepresented  in  this  way,  as  the 
coins  still  preserved  show. 

Some  of  these  country  trade  coins 
bear  a  simple  promise  to  pay,  as  "  I 
will  exchange  my  one  penny ;  "  or  an 
annomicement,  "  I  pass  for  a  half  penny 
in  Leeds ;  "  "I  am  for  a  public  good  in 
Cockermouth."  Another,  combining  a 
request  and  a  prayer,  "  Send  me  to  the 
mercer  of  Knox  Hall  —  God  grant 
peace."  One  says,  "Paines  bring 
gaines ;  "  another  that,  "  Plain  dealing 
is  best."  W.  Wakeling  shows  his  loyal- 
ty with  "  Vive  le  Roy  in  Uttoxeter ;  " 
while  another  shopkeeper  profanely 
exclaims,  "  Touch  not  mine  anointed, 
and  do  my  profits  no  harm."  There  is 
a  mock  humility  in  "  Poore  Ned,  of 
Feversham ;  "  unintelligible  quaintness 
in  "  Pharaoh  in  Barley ;  "  and  a  ming- 
ling of  the  practical  and  poetical  in 
such  inscriptions  as 

"  Welcome  you  be 
To  trade  with  me," — 
and 

"  Although  but  brass, 
Yet  let  me  pass." 


Scotch  Tobacconist's  Uotto. 

Persons  who  retire  from  trade  are 
sometimes  disposed,  from  a  false  shame, 
to  conceal  the  mode  by  which  they  ac- 
quired their  wealth.  A  notable  excep- 
tion to  this  occurred  in  the  case  of  a 
Mr.  Gillespie,  a  tobacconist,  in  the  city 
of  Edinburgh.  Having  acquired  an 
ample  fortune  by  the  sale  of  snuff  at  the 
end  of  the  American  war,  he  set  up  a 
carriage ;  and,  lest  the  public,  or  him- 
self, might  forget  how  he  had  acquired 
the  means  of  keeping  one,  to  arms  of 
three  snuflF  boxes  rampant,  he  added 
the  following  doggerel  couplet  as  a 
motto : 

"  Who  would  have  thought  it, 
That  noses  could  have  bought  it  ?  " 


Mottoes  in  Ancient  Times. 

When  printed  books  first  became  an 
article  of  sale,  they  found  such  eager 
purchasers,  that  spurious  and  imperfect 
editions  of  the  more  celebrated  works 
began  to  be  circulated.  To  remedy 
this  evil,  and  to  give  security  and  pro- 
tection to  those  printers  whose  publica- 
tions combined  great  literary  merit 
with  rare  typographical  excellence, 
princes  and  potentates  granted  them 
permission  to  use  on  the  title  page 
some  symbol  and  motto,  to  counterfeit 
which  was  legally  as  well  as  morally 
criminal. 

Thus,  Aldus  Manutius,  who  estab- 
lished the  famous  Aldine  press  at 
Venice,  and  was  the  inventor  of  the 
type  called  Italic,  adopted  for  his  sign 
on  his  title  pages  a  dolphin  and  anchor. 
Henry  Stephens,  the  founder  of  the 
celebrated  family  of  printers  of  that 
name,  when  established  at  Paris,  took 
for  his  symbol  an  olive  tree,  and  which 
long  continued  to  be  used  by  his  son. 

One  of  the  earliest  printers,  of  much 
celebrity  in  England,  was  Henry  Day ; 
upward  of  two  hundred  works  issued 
from  his  press,  all  distinguished  by  his 
symbol — the  rising  sun,  with  a  boy 
awaking  his  companion  with  the  words, 
"  Arise,  for  it  is  day  !  "  in  allusion  to 
the  dawning  day  of  the  Protestant  Ref- 
ormation. Christopher  Plantin,  of  Ant- 
werp, adopted  for  his  emblem  and 
motto  a  hand  and  pair  of  compasses, 
with  Lahore  et  Constantia — "  By  labor 
and  perseverance : "  he  stuck  to  his 
own  motto,  and  became  very  rich  and 
eminent.  Juan  de  la  Cuesta,  of  Madrid, 
the  printer  and  publisher  of  the  first 
edition  of  "  Don  Quixote,"  took  for  his 
device  a  stork,  surrounded  by  the 
words  Post  tendrras,  spero  lucem — "  After 
the  darkness,  I  expect  light." 


English  Business  Mottoes. 

The  great  trading  and  business  com- 
panies in  England,  which  were  estab- 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


809 


lished  before  the  Reformation,  and  en- 
joyed exclusive  monopolies  by  royal 
grant,  had  each  its  patron  saint,  to 
whom  altars  were  built  in  the  churches 
of  which  they  held  the  control — the 
saint  being  generally  chosen  from  some 
relation,  supposed  or  real,  to  the  craft 
or  mystery  of  the  company.  Thus,  the 
fishmongers  chose  St,  Peter,  and  met  in 
St,  Peter's  Church ;  the  drapers  chose 
the  Virgin  Mary,  "  Mother  of  the  Holy 
Lamb,  or  fleece,"  and  assembled  for 
their  ecclesiastical  services  in  St.  Mary 
Bethlem  Church  ;  the  merchant  tailors 
selected  as  their  patron  saint,  St.  John 
the  Baptist,  as  the  messenger  or  proph- 
et who  announced  the  advent  of  the 
"Holy  Lamb;"  and  the  goldsmiths' 
patron  was  St.  Dunstan,  reputed  to 
have  been  a  fellow  craftsman.  Their 
liveries  also  bore  their  mottoes :  that 
of  the  skinners  was,  "  To  God  be  all 
the  glory ;  "  that  of  the  grocers,  "  God 
grant  grace  ;  "  the  clothworkers'  was, 
"  My  trust  is  in  God  alone ;  "  the  iron- 
mongers', "  God  is  our  strength ;  "  and 
the  drapers',  "  Unto  God  be  honor  and 
glory." 

Fresh  Gems  from  Sngrlish  Advertising 
Coltunns. 

The  English  journals  continue  to 
fiimish,  now  and  then,  an  emerald  of 
the  first  water,  in  the  way  of  ambigu- 
ous advertisements — as  complete  a  tri- 
umph, indeed,  over  Lindley  Murray,  as 
was  that  of  "Wellington  over  Napoleon. 
The  two  specimens  which  follow,  taken 
from  a  London  paper,  appeared  under 
the  head  of  "  For  sale :  " 

"Pianoforte — Cottage,  7  octaves  —  the 
property  of  a  Lady  leaving  England,  in  re- 
markably elegant  Walnut  Case  on  beautifully 
carved  supports.  The  tone  is  superb,  and 
eminently  adapted  for  any  one  requiring  a 
first-class  instrument.  Price,  22  guineas, 
cost  double  three  months  since." 

We  have  heard  of  Arion  riding  on  a 
dolphin,  and  of  the  wise  men  of  Goth- 
am who  went  to  sea  in  a  bowl;  we 
have  heard  of  Helle  on  her  ram,  and  of 


Europa  on  her  bull ;  but  we  never  be- 
fore heard  of  a  lady  designing  to  cross 
the  English  Channel  in  a  remarkably 
elegant  walnut  case  with  beautifully 
carved  supports.  Indeed,  we  might  go 
so  far  as  to  ask — as  probably  every 
reader  of  the  advertisement  would  be 
led  to — whether  the  "  beautifully  carved 
supports  "  are  those  of  the  walnut  case 
or  of  the  lady  herself.  In  either  case, 
they  would  seem  equally  ill  adapted  to 
struggle  with  the  winds  and  billows. 

The  other  advertisement  referred  to 
is  as  follows : 

"Business  Chance. — To  be  disposed  of, 
a  Genuine  Fried  Fish  Business,  at  the  West 
End." 

The  meaning  of  this  advertisement 
is  quite  as  obscure  as  that  of  the  first. 
Does  the  genuineness  apply  to  the  busi- 
ness, to  the  fish  as  objects  of  ichthyol- 
ogy, or  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
fried  ?  We  can  guess  what  is  meant 
by  Genuine  Patent  Medicines,  Genuine 
Bear's  Grease,  etc.,  but  "  Genuine  Fried 
Fish,"  and  still  more,  a  "  Genuine  Fried 
Fish  Business,"  is  something  hopelessly 
beyond  us.  There  was  a  time  when 
we  did  not  know  what  was  meant  by 
an  "  old  fish  for  a  mast,"  but,  thanks 
to  many  kind  friends,  we  know  now 
very  well.  Perhaps  a  like  confession 
of  ignorance  may  lead  to  our  enlighten- 
ment on  the  possibly  kindred  subject 
of  this  "  Genuine  Fried  Fish  Business, 
at  the  West  End," 


An  TTntried  Uethod. 

There  seems  to  be  no  end  to  the 
new  advertising  projects  which  are 
daily  springing  up  in  all  directions. 
There  is,  however,  still  one  method  of 
advertising  left  untried,  and  it  is  a 
wonder  no  one  makes  the  experiment. 
Umbrellas  are  still  left  blank — their  am- 
ple and  conspicuous  surface  bearing  no 
announcement  of  any  new  pill,  new  ad- 
hesive gum,  bankrupt's  sale,  or  "  What 
is  it?"    It  is  pretty  certain  that  the 


310 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


umbrella,  with  its  little  brood  of  para- 
solettes,  sunshades,  etc.,  is  destined  to 
become  a  tremendous  vehicle  for  infor- 
mation. An  umbrella  maker  might  try 
the  experiment  by  placing  a  puffing 
broadside  on  all  the  articles  of  his  own 
manufacture.  Or  perhaps  it  would  be 
a  better  plan — as  some  persons  might 
foolishly  object  to  carry  an  advertising 
or  pictorial  umbrella — that  on  wet  days 
there  should  be  stations,  with  placards 
ready  printed,  to  be  pasted  on  (for  a 
consideration)  to  the  umbrellas  of  any 
one  who  might  be  disposed  to  combine 
profit  with  convenience. 


Classical  Shop  Langruaere. 

To  use  plain  and  pure  English  seems 
now  quite  foreign  to  the  taste  of  many 
shopkeepers.  French  is  pressed  into 
their  service  quite  as  much  as  Greek 
and  Latin,  and  by  ill-educated  tongues, 
which  talk  of  "  hany  other  harticle,"  it 
is  not  easy  to  imagine,  without  having 
the  headache,  how  the  French  language 
must  be  mispronounced.  One  can 
hardly  ever  take  up  a  newspaper,  now- 
a-days,  without  seeing  an  advertise- 
ment of  some  '■'■recherche  stock  of 
goods"  which  are  to  be  disposed  of 
forthwith,  '■'■  saria  reserve."  A  hair- 
dresser now  styles  himself  in  general  an 
artiste,  and  advertises  to  the  universe 
his  famed  esprit  de  vioUtte,  or  bouquet 
de  Rhine.  One  enterprising  dealer  has 
had  the  courage  to  combine  his  classics 
with  his  French,  and  to  advertise  for 
sale  a  lot  of  hroche  madapoluma,  which 
must  be  something  rather  curious  if 
they  at  all  be  really  like  their  name. 
Corsets  and  chapeau  have  quite  sup- 
planted such  old  English  words  as 
"  stays  "  and  "  bonnet ;  "  and  of  course 
no  upper-ten  dressmaker  would  ever 
dream  of  naming  petticoats  by  any 
other  term  than  jupes.  Why  this  is  so, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  say ;  nor  is  it 
very  easy  to  guess  why  in  a  newspaper 
professedly  intended  for  circulation 
among  those  who  speak  the  English 


language,  le  sommier  elastique  portatif 
should  be  advertised,  when  "  portable 
spring  mattress  "  is  vastly  more  intelli- 
gible and  far  more  easily  pronounced. 


Chinese  Trade  PofQ.ngr. 

The  advertisement  of  Messrs.  Chops 
&  Co.,  the  great  Chinese  firm  in  Lon- 
don— as  it  appears  in  the  columns  of 
Punch — ^is  formed  after  the  choicest 
models  of  English  and  American  trade- 
puffers,  as  the  following  will  show  : 

We,  Chop-chin,  Chop-lip,  Circassian- 
cree,  &  Co-cree,  having,  in  the  pleni- 
tude of  our  hearts,  set  up  a  shop  in  the 
very  bowels  of  this  barbarian  city,  now 
graciously  invite  all  to  come  and  feast 
on  the  wonders  of  our  celestial  genius. 
If,  after  this  glorious  proclamation,  ye 
will  come  and  look,  then  most  assuredly 
will  we  benignantly  smile ;  and  if,  fur- 
ther, ye  should  buy,  we  will  as  assured- 
ly laugh  very  heartily.  Delay  not ! 
hasten,  hasten  ! !   be  speedy  !  I 

Our  luxuriant  and  nourishing  Tartar 
Cream,  so  highly  sought  for  by  the 
Chinese  to  polish  and  finish  off'  their 
tails,  is  much  recommended  for  pro- 
ducing a  beautiful  head  of  hair. 

The  True  Keying  Cold  Cream  the 
Messrs.  Chops  can  safely  recommend, 
it  having  been  used  for  many  years  on 
the  nose  of  the  Jolly  Keying,  when 
heated  by  a  vast  multitude  of  red 
bunkles,  occasioned,  it  was  believed,  by 
a  constant  flow  of  good  spirits. 

Since  the  arrival  of  the  Messrs.  Chops 
into  this  country,  they  have  witnessed 
the  fashion  of  reducing  all  things  to 
the  smallest  possible  size  and  lightest 
conceivable  weight.  Under  this  im- 
pression, we  have  manufactured  the 
smallest,  lightest,  and  most  shallow 
pots  ever  beheld ;  two  will  go  into  a 
pillbox,  and  any  six  can  be  carried  in 
a  gentleman's  waistcoat  pocket.  Each 
pot  48.  6<?.,  being  only  one  shilling 
more  than  the  usual  large  and  clumsy 
pots  sold  at  perfumers. 

The  Imperial  Dentifrice,  for  procur- 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND   PHRASEOLOGY. 


311 


ing  a  beautiful  set  of  teeth,  is  composed 
of  pulverized  bricks  from  the  Porcelain 
Tower,  Nankin.  The  wonders  of  this 
beautiful  powder  can  be  at  once  dis- 
covered by  merely  buying  a  pot. 


Oominercial  Envelopes,  Wrappers, 
Labels,  etc. 

To  such  a  degree  is  the  ornamental 
enveloping  of  the  objects  of  commerce 
and  the  products  of  industry  now  car- 
ried on,  in  some  departments  of  trade, 
that  the  outside  aspects  of  certain 
goods,  in  the  popular  estimate,  actually 
outvies  the  goods  themselves — the  de- 
corated packing  case  surpasses  its  con- 
tents— the  shell  excels  the  kernel.  In- 
deed, this  is  the  Teey  to  the  whole  busi- 
ness :  the  plainest  envelope  would  answer 
all  the  purposes  of  the  most  luxurious 
and  ornamental  one,  with  a  single  ex- 
ception— it  would  not  sell  the  article  ! 

The  most  expensive  of  the  articles 
which  may  be  classed  as  commercial 
envelopes,  is  the  envelope  of  the  jewel- 
ler— the  morocco  case,  lined  with  silk 
velvet.  The  gold  watch,  the  costly 
ring,  the  bracelet,  the  gem,  are  present- 
ed to  the  buyer  in  a  morocco  case, 
which,  however  costly  it  may  be  in  it- 
self, forms  a  very  trifling  item  in  the 
bill.  Much  capital  is  invested  and 
much  skill  employed  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  these  articles. 

It  is  the  paper  maker  who  is  the  great 
source  of  the  commercial  envelope.  The 
dress  boxes,  cap  boxes,  flower  boxes, 
pattern  boxes,  lace  boxes,  and  all  that 
legion  of  envelopes,  of  every  shape  and 
size,  are  made  of  paper,  in  some  of  its 
numberless  forms,  such  as  card  board, 
mill  board,  etc.  There  is  no  limit  to 
articles  of  this  description,  comprising 
the  finest  and  whitest,  or  plain,  or 
grained,  or  embossed,  with  the  most 
elaborate  designs,  or  spread  with  gor- 
geous arabesques  and  radiant  with 
gold. 

The  pictorial  element  comes  largely 
into  play  in  the  various  kinds  of  paper 
boxes  and  envelopes;  and  it  is  said 


that  none  of  the  pleasing  discoveries  in 
chromo-typography,  chromo-lithogra- 
phy,  and  block  printing  in  colors,  would 
have  proved  profitable,  but  for  the  use  to 
which  they  are  applied  by  the  makers 
of  paper  boxes  and  ornamental  wrappers 
of  various  kinds.  The  perfumer,  the 
fancy  stationer,  the  lace  man,  the  glove 
maker,  are  the  wholesale  patrons  of  those 
beautiful  arts,  and  not  the  public,  who 
admire  their  chefs-cfcewDre  in  the  shop 
windows,. but  rarely  purchase.  It  is  by 
the  sale  of  tens  and  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  small  colored  designs  and  vig- 
nettes, which  are  in  demand  to  envel- 
ope the  scents,  the  soaps,  the  cutlery, 
the  conserves,  the  toilet  gear  of  the  la- 
dies, or  the  choice  filigree  stationery 
they  use,  that  the  chromo-photograph- 
er  is  paid.  For  every  picture  which 
the  chromo-typographist  sells  as  a 
picture,  a  hundred  at  least  are  nomi- 
nally given  away  as  part  and  parcel  of 
the  envelope  to  some  kind  of  merchan- 
dise. This  luxurious  species  of  envel- 
ope originated  in  Paris,  and  is  there 
manufactured  most  extensively,  and 
sent  in  exquisite  parcels  to  almost 
every  part  of  the  world. 

A  rival  of  the  paper-box  maker  is  the 
worTcer  in  metal.  The  thinnest  sheet  or 
film  of  lead,  or  tin,  or  brass,  or  bronze, 
may  be  pressed  in  the  form  of  a  box 
and  its  cover,  with  an  endless  variety 
of  most  attractive  patterns.  Millions 
of  these  metal  envelopes  are  used,  some 
of  them  being  exceedingly  handsome 
and  perfect  in  design,  and  of  course 
helping  largely  the  sale  of  the  articles 
to  which  fhey  are  applied. 

The  glass  blower  is  another  important 
agent  in  the  fabrication  of  commercial 
envelopes.  The  dealers  in  scents  and 
odors  know  full  well  that  it  is  the  fMt- 
tle,  more  than  anything  else,  which  re- 
commends and  sells  the  perfiune,  and 
they  spend  infinitely  more  time  and 
trouble,  and — it  may  as  well  be  told — 
capital,  too,  in  elaborating  a  new  toilet 
bottle,  than  they  do  in  the  composition 
of  its  contents.    A  delicious  scent — the 


312 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


*'  extract  of  a  thousand  flowers,"  for  in- 
stance— may  be  concocted  from  essence 
of  lavender,  a  modicum  of  eau  de  Co- 
logne, and  a  trifle  of  attar  of  roses,  ho- 
mceopatliically  diffused  in  an  ocean  of 
aqua  pura — and  may  be  varied  ad  in- 
finitum  by  the  least  change  in  the  in- 
gredients; but  the  lotth^  which  is  to 
glitter  on  the  toilet  table,  demands  all 
the  genius  of  the  artist  and  the  skill  of 
the  craftsman.  It  is  here  the  chief  diffi- 
culty lies — to  achieve  a  two-ounce  bot- 
tle of  classical  design,  toned  down  to 
the  modern  standard  of  dressing-room 
elegance;  he  is  a  lucky  man  indeed 
who  will  accomplish  it,  and  may  reck- 
on upon  an  influx  of  profit  compared  to 
which  cent,  per  cent,  is  mere  zero. 

The  f  otter  is  in  still  greater  request 
than  the  glass  blower,  among  a  certain 
class  of  dealers.  Not  to  detail  the  va- 
rious jars  and  earthen  bottles  which  he 
makes  for  trade  purposes,  there  is  a 
shallow  pot  and  cover,  varying  in  di- 
ameter from  two  inches,  or  less,  to  eight 
inches  or  more,  and  formed  of  every 
species  of  ceramic  compoimd,  from 
plainest  delf  to  finest  porcelain,  the 
demand  for  which  is  almost  incredible. 
They  are  used  as  the  deposits  of  poma- 
tums, hair  paste,  cold  cream,  "  bear's 
grease,"  and  so  on.  There  are  also 
larger  ones,  for  other  purposes,  some  of 
which  are  moulded  with  great  care, 
and  delicately  painted  by  hand  with 
groups  of  flowers  or  small  landscapes. 


liiteratore  and  Groceries. 

Pope's  saying,  that  "  a  Itttle  learn- 
ing is  a  dangerous  thing,"  is  pretty 
well  verified  in  the  following  inscrip- 
tion over  the  door  of  a  trader  in  Hol- 
ton  East,  England,  and  which  very 
naturally  arrests  the  attention  of  the 
passers  by : 

W  ATKINSON'S 

Acadamy ; 

Whaievtr  man  has  done  man  may  do. 

Also 

Dealer  in  Groceries, 

&c. 


Signboard  Punctuation. 

Painters  of  signboards  are  too  often 
negligent  or  incompetent  in  the  matter 
of  pimctuation.  They  either  indulge 
themselves  in  a  redundancy  of  stops,  or 
totally  omit  them.  In  the  latter  case 
there  will  sometimes  be  met  with  such 
non-punctuated  inscriptions  as — "  A 
Wood  Smith,"  "  Lamb  Butcher,"  "  Clay 
Baker,"  "Winch  Turner,"  "Peacock 
Builder,"  "Gay  Painter,"  "Church 
Saddler,"  "  Moon  Gilder,"  «fec. 


"  Por  Her  Majesty." 

A  TRAVELiiEB  in  England,  in  a  pe- 
destrian tour  through  the  principal 
business  streets,  speaks  of  the  amuse- 
ment afforded  him  on  reading  the  in- 
scriptions on  the  ancient  signboards ; 
one  was  coat  maker,  hat  maker,  boot 
or  spur  maker,  and  so  on,  "  for  his 
Majesty."  Another — frock  maker,  cape 
maker,  corset,  or  glove  maker,  "for 
h^r  Majesty."  Thousands  are  "li- 
censed" to  sell  tea,  sugar,  and  coffee, 
provisions,  snuff  and  tobacco,  porter 
and  pies,  hay  and  straw,  etc.,  and  this 
is  duly  specified  on  the  board.  On  the 
front  of  a  three-story  building,  in  large 
letters,  reaching  from  top  to  bottom, 
was  the  following :  "  Sight  restored, 
and  Headache  cured,  by  Grindstone's 
celebrated  Eye  Snuff—sold  here ; " 
something  rather  hard  and  gritty,  it 
would  seem,  this  process  of  curing  eyes 
by  a  grindstone.  Many  have  on  their 
signboards,  under  their  name,  the  num- 
ber of  years  they  have  done  business  in 
that  house  ;  as  "John  Thomas,  Wine 
Dealer,  since  1794," — thus  signifying 
that  he  is  a  man  of  steady  habits  to  re- 
side and  do  business  in  the  same  house 
for  scores  of  years.  Some  of  the  signs 
state  that  father  and  son  have  done 
business  on  the  same  spot  for  one  hun- 
dred years  and  upward. 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


313 


Evasions  of  Trade  Harks. 

An  English  journal  gives  an  account 
of  several  remarkable  evasions  of  trade 
marks,  some  of  which,  at  least,  can 
scarcely  be  heard  of  without  a  smile. 
A  Burlington  Arcade  "  Perruquier  "  in- 
troduced a  Medicated  Mexican  Balm, 
to  which  he  prefixed  his  name  ;  where- 
upon a  neighbor  speedily  advertised 
his  Medicated  Mexican  Balm,  A  quar- 
rel and  a  lawsuit  ensued,  ending  in 
the  award  of  protection  to  the  trade 
mark. 

Prof.  H.'s  pills  and  ointments  may  or 
may  not  be  worthy  of  the  puffery  which 
surrounds  them ;  but  by  all  business 
men  it  must  be  regarded  as  an  obvious- 
ly mean  trick  when  another  person, 
taking  advantage  of  the  same  name, 
opened  a  shop  within  the  distance  of  a 
few  houses,  and  advertised,  in  the  same 
surname,  pills  and  ointment,  and  which 
was  another  case  brought  before  the 
law  courts. 

A  third,  and  quite  a  curious  case,  ex- 
hibited the  following  facts :  Mr.  Craw- 
shay,  the  eminent  ironmaster  of  South 
Wales,  marks  his  iron  "  W.  Crawshay," 
or  "  W.  C,"  enclosed  in  a  ring.  One 
day  he  observed  on  a  wharf  some  bars 
of  iron  bearing  a  mark  which  he  sup- 
posed to  be  his  own,  but  which,  on 
closer  inspection,  he  found  to  be  "  W. 
0.,"  enclosed  in  a  ring.  He  ascertained, 
moreover,  that  this  mark  commonly 
passed  in  the  Turkish  market  for  his 
own  (Crawshay's)  mark.  Although 
this  trade  mark  was  not  exactly  like 
Crawshay's,  yet  the  O,  which  was  sub- 
stituted for  the  C,  was,  when  combined 
with  the  W  and  the  ring,  a  proof  of 
imitation.  That  Thompson,  the  pro- 
prietor of  this  iron,  was  aware  of  the 
imitatioft,  was  made  clear;  but  there 
was  an  absence  of  technical  proof  of 
an  intention  to  imitate. 

Mr.  Linnell,  the  distinguished  paint- 
er, painted  a  picture,  and  put  his  name 
to  it ;  a  copy  of  this  picture,  name  and 
all,  got  into  the  market.  That  this  was 


an  infringement  of  a  trade  mark,  and 
something  worse,  was  clear  enough,  yet, 
through  the  inconsistencies  of  the  law, 
the  perpetrator  of  the  fraud  escaped 
both  on  the  charge  of  forgery  and  on 
that  of  obtaining  money  on  false  pre- 
tences. 

One  George  Borwick  invented  what 
he  called  baking  powder,  and  egg 
powder,  sold  in  packets,  with  his  name 
printed  on  the  wrapper.  Another  deal- 
er, failing  to  sell  his  own  baking  pow- 
der, applied  to  a  printer  to  print  ten 
thousand  labels  as  nearly  as  possible 
like  Borwick's,  except  the  signature. 
This  signature  had  been  rendered  in- 
visible by  the  peculiar  wrapping  of 
Borwick's  packets,  until  the  wrapper 
was  torn  off;  and  therefore  the  cunning 
cheat  deemed  himself  in  this  particular 
safe.  Many  of  these  deceptive  packets 
were  sold  as  Borwick's,  before  the 
scheme  was  discovered. 

Foreign  manufacturers  have  in  many 
cases  had  to  vindicate  themselves 
against  the  arts  of  nimble-witted  and 
unprincipled  English  adventurers.  The 
never-dying  Jean  Maria  Farina  had 
once  to  go  into  an  English  court  of 
law,  to  demand  justice  for  his  trade 
mark.  Relying  on  the  confusion  be- 
tween the  many  eau-de-Cologne  makers 
who,  in  almost  every  part  of  the  world, 
assume  that  cognomen,  an  English 
printer  imitated  a  label  with  the  signa- 
ture, "  Jeaji  Maria  Farina,  gegenuber 
dem  Julich  Platz,"  with  a  peculiar 
flourish,  and  also  a  stamp  and  seal. 
Although  a  Prussian  subject.  Farina 
was  able,  in  this  particular  instance,  to 
obtain  justice  in  an  English  court  of 
law. 

Another  instance  is  that  of  the  Col- 
lins Company,  manufacturers  of  edge 
tools,  Hartford,  Conn.  They  stamp  on 
their  manufactured  articles  the  words, 
"Collins  &  Co.,  Hartford,  cast  steel, 
warranted,"  and  also  affix  labels  on 
which  is  printed,  "Look  out  for  the 
stamp  Hartford,  if  you  want  the  genu- 
ine Collins  &  Co."     A   Birmingham 


314 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


(England)  merchant  was  clearly  proved 
to  have  imitated  the  trade  mark  and 
labels  of  this  company,  and  to  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  selling  and  export- 
ing tools  so  stamped  as  being  the  tools 
of  the  company.  The  latter  got  the 
merited  justice  in  this  case. 


Shop  and  Business  Signs :  Ancient 
Examples. 

The  bearing  of  devices  over  the  doors 
of  shops  and  other  places  of  business, 
was  a  very  common  practice  before  the 
introduction  of  the  plan  of  numbering 
the  houses,  which  did  not  take  place 
until  about  one  hundred  years  ago. 
The  sign  of  the  house  in  Bread  street, 
where  Milton's  father  resided,  was  a 
spread  eagle,  which  appears  to  have 
been  the  arms  of  that  family.  Remains 
of  this  custom  are  still  to  be  observed 
in  several  parts  of  London,  and,  as  is 
pretty  well  known,  the  Messrs.  Hoares, 
the  bankers,  in  Fleet  street,  retain  to 
this  day  over  the  door  the  symbol  of  a 
leather  bottle,  gilt ;  and  the  same  was 
also  represented  on  their  notes  which 
they  formerly  issued.  The  Messrs. 
Gostlings  also  retain  their  sign  of  the 
three  squirrels,  and  Strahan,  Paul  & 
Co.,  the  sign  of  the  golden  anchor. 

The  three  gilt  balls  so  commonly 
hung  out  as  signs  at  pawnbrokers' 
shops,  and  by  the  mass  humorously 
said  to  indicate  that  it  is  two  to  one 
the  things  pledged  are  never  redeemed, 
were  in  reality  the  arms  of  a  set  of  mer- 
chants from  Lombardy,  who  were  the 
first  that  publicly  lent  money  on 
pledges;  these  merchants  borrowed 
this  triple  symbol  from  the  great  mer- 
chant, De  Medicis.  They  dwelt  to- 
gether in  a  street,  from  them  named 
Lombard  street,  in  London,  and  also 
gave  their  name  to  another  in  Paris. 
The  appellation  of  Lombard  was  for- 
merly all  over  Europe  considered  as  sy- 
nonymous with  that  of  usurers. 

The  barber's  pole  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  many  conjectures,  some  conceiv- 
ing it  to  have  originated  from  the  word 


poll  or  head,  with  several  other  con- 
ceits as  far-fetched  and  unmeaning; 
but  the  true  intention  of  that  party- 
colored  staff  was  to  show  that  the  mas- 
ter of  the  shop  practised  surgery,  and 
could  breathe  a  vein  as  well  as  mow  a 
beard.  The  white  band  which  encom- 
passes the  staff  was  meant  to  represent 
the  fillet  thus  elegantly  twined  about  it. 


Presh  Sea-water. 

Over  a  door  on  the  road  from  Brigh- 
ton to  Lewes,  is  a  signboard  with  the 
very  intelligible  announcement — "  Freik 
seorwater  sold  hereJ'^ 


Titles  of  Business  Firms. 

One  of  the  most  expressive  titles  of  a 
mercantile  firm  that  could  be  met  with, 
is  that  of  "  Call  &  Switchem,"  which  is 
painted  in  golden  letters  on  a  sign  in 
one  of  the  eastern  cities ;  also  another, 
that  is  equally  unique,  viz.,  "  Bangs  & 
Swett ; "  and  that  of  "  Lanceman  & 
Payne."  "Neal,  Pray  &  Co.,"  is  the 
title — suflSciently  devotional,  certainly 
— of  another  firm.  But  the  following 
"  beats  all,"  Two  attorneys,  who  were 
many  years  ago  in  partnership,  had  for 
the  name  of  their  firm,  "Catchum  & 
Chetum ; "  but  as  the  singularity  and 
ominous  juxtaposition  of  the  words  led 
to  many  a  disparaging  joke  from  the 
passers  by,  the  men  of  law  attempted 
to  destroy  in  part  the  effect  of  the  odd 
association,  by  the  insertion  of  the  ini- 
tials of  their  Christian  names,  which 
happened  to  be  Isaac  and  Uriah  ;  but, 
in  reality,  this  made  the  matter  ten 
times  worse,  for  the  inscription  ran, 
"  I.  Catchum  &  U.  Chetum,"  and  peo- 
ple could  not,  for  the  life  of  'em,  dis- 
possess their  minds  or  imaginations  of 
"  high  doings  "  in  said  law  office. 


Arms  and  Seal  of  the  Bank  of  Ireland. 

The  arms  and  seal  of  the  Bank  of 
Ireland  are  :  Hibernia  bearing  a  crown. 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


315 


as  a  symbol  of  her  independence ;  an 
anchor  in  her  hand,  to  denote  the  sta- 
bility of  her  commerce,  with  the  words 
*'  Bank  of  Ireland ;  "  and  under  the 
anchor,  '•'•Bona fide  respubliccB  stabilitas''^ 
— intimating  that  the  existence  of  a 
people  depends  upon  the  faithful  dis- 
charge of  their  public  debts. 


Unexampled  Enterprise :   The  Cbiaese 
Wall  for  Advertisements. 

An  enterprising  and  opulent  bill- 
sticker  has,  it  is  privately  understood, 
made  offers  to  the  leader  of  the  Chi- 
nese insurgent  forces  to  rent  of  him,  in 
the  event  of  his  being  made  emperor, 
the  renowned  wall  of  China.  The  sum 
offered  has  not  transpired,  but  it  is 
said  to  be  something  extremely  muni- 
ficent. 

It  is  the  bill  sticker's  intention,  as 
soon  as  he  obtains  an  imperial  grant, 
to  form  a  company  of  persons  who 
spend  large  sums  of  money  every  year 
in  advertisements,  and  to  cover  the  en- 
tire length  of  the  wall  with  their  bills 
and  posters,  a  larger  price  being,  of 
course,  charged  for  those  which  will  be 
posted  outside  than  for  those  inside 
the  wall,  where  comparatively  but  few 
people  will  be  able  to  see  them.  The 
bills  will  be  in  English,  or  specially 
translated  into  Chinese,  at  the  option 
of  the  advertiser.  In  the  event  of  China 
being  thrown  open  to  universal  com- 
merce— and  there  is,  at  present,  every 
prospect  of  such  a  fact — it  will  be  at 
once  seen  what  "  a  desirable  medium 
for  advertisements  "  this  national  post- 
ing-station win  be.  So  favorably  ia. 
the  scheme  entertained,  by  some  lead- 
ing advertisers,  that  already  twelve 
thousand  miles  of  that  part  of  the  wall 
which  runs  through  the  most  densely 
populated  districts  of  the  empire,  has 
been  bespoken  at  an  enormous  rental. 

The  company  will  be  announced  at  a 
future  day,  and  it  is  expected  that  the 
shares  will  be  quoted  on  'Change  at  a 
heavy  premium  the  very  first  day.  A 
good  judge  has  been  heard  privately 


to  say,  that  next  to  a  celebrated  mil- 
lionnaire's  property,  it  vdll  be  the 
largest  hoarding  in  the  world,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  it  will  be.  All  the 
pufiing  tailors,  pill  merchants,  quack- 
medicine  sellers,  etc.,  are  actively  on 
the  look  out — though,  in  the  present 
case,  instead  of  trying  to  "drive  one 
another  to  the  wall,"  as  is  too  generally 
the  case  among  competitors,  each  one 
is  doing  all  he  can  to  keep  the  rest 
from  that  position.  Professor  Liebig's 
testimonial  in  favor  of  bitter  beer  is  al- 
ready printed  in  all  the  Chinese  dia- 
lects, only  waiting  to  be  posted  up. 


First  Trade  Advertisement. 

With  the  exception  of  quack-medi- 
cine and  book  advertisements,  the  first 
record  of  a  tradesman  turning  the 
newspaper  to  accoimt  in  making 
known  his  goods  to  the  public,  is  in 
1658.  Independently  of  its  being  in 
itself  a  curiosity,  it  possesses  a  very 
strong  interest,  from  the  fact  that  it 
marks  the  introduction  of  a  new  article 
of  food  and  commercial  traffic.  The 
advertisement  reads  thus : 

THAT  Excellent  and  by  all  Physitians  ap- 
proved China  drink  called  by  the  Chineans 
Tcha,  by  other  Nations  Tai/  alias  Tee,  is 
sold  at  the  Sulfaness  Head  Copliee  House 
in  Sweetings  Rents,  by  the  Royal  Ex- 
change, London. — Mercurius  Politicus, 
September  30,  1658. 

This  is  undoubtedly  the  earliest  au- 
thentic announcement  yet  made  known, 
of  the  public  sale  in  England  of  this 
now  universal  beverage.  The  mention 
of  "  cophee  house  "  proves  that  the  sis- 
ter stimulant  had  already  got  a  start. 


"Tight  Times." 

That  financial  visitor,  of  such  bad 
renown,  "  Tight  Times,"  is  thus  set  off: 

He  may  be  seen  on  'Change  every 
day.  He  bores  our  merchants,  and 
seats  himself  cozily  in  lawyers'  offices. 
He  is  everywhere. 


316 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


A  great  disturber  of  the  public  quiet, 
a  pestilent  fellow,  is  this  same  Tight 
Times,  Everybody  talks  about  him; 
everybody  looks  out  for  him ;  every- 
body hates  him ;  and  a  great  many  hard 
words  and  not  a  few  profane  epithets 
are  bestowed  upon  him.  Everybody 
would  avoid  —  "cut"  him,  if  they 
could;  everybody  would  hiss  him 
from  'Change,  hustle  him  out  of  the 
street,  kick  him  from  the  banks,  throw 
him  out  of  the  stores,  out  of  the  hotels 
— but  they  canH.  Yes,  Tight  Times  is 
a  bore — he  wiU  stick  like  a  brier. 

An  impudent  fellow,  too,  is  Tight 
Times.  Ask  for  a  discount,  and  he 
looks  over  your  shoulder,  winks  at  the 
cashier,  and  your  note  is  thrown  out. 
Ask  a  loan  of  the  usurers  at  one  per 
cent,  per  month,  he  looks  over  your  se- 
curities, and  marks  "  two  and  a  half." 
Present  a  bill  to  your  debtor.  Tight 
Times  shrugs  his  shoulders,  rolls  up  his 
eyes,  and  you  must  "  call  again."  A 
wife  asks  for  a  fashionable  brocade  and 
a  daughter  for  a  new  bonnet;  Tight 
Times  puts  in  his  caveat,  and  the  bro- 
cade and  bonnet  are  postponed. 

A  great  depredator  in  stocks  is 
Tight  Times.  He  steps  in  among  the 
bankers,  and  down  go  the  "  favorites 
of  the  market."  He  goes  along  the 
railroads  in  process  of  construction, 
and  the  Irishmen  throw  down  their 
shovels  and  walk  away. 

A  famous  exploder  of  bubbles  is  Mr: 
Tight  Times,  He  looks  into  the  affairs 
of  gold  companies,  and  they  fly  to 
pieces ;  into  "  kiting  "  banks,  and  they 
stop  payment.  He  walks  aroimd  "  cor- 
ner lots,"  draws  a  line  across  litho- 
graph cities,  and  they  disappear.  He 
leaves  his  footprints  among  mines,  and 
the  rich  metal  becomes  dross.  He 
breathes  upon  the  cunningest  specula- 
tions, and — they  burst  like  torpedoes. 

A  hard  master  for  the  poor  is  this 
Tight  Times — a  cruel  enemy  to  the  la- 
boring classes.  He  takes  the  mechanic 
from  his  bench,  the  laborer  from  bis 
work,  the  hod  carrier  from  his  ladder. 


He  runs  up  the  prices  of  provisions, 
and  he  runs  down  the  wages  of  toil. 
He  runs  up  the  prices  of  food,  and  he 
runs  down  the  ability  to  purchase  it  at 
any  price.  His  picture  is  hung  up  in 
everybody's  memory. 

Irish  Advertisement. 

The  Edinburgh  Review,  in  an  article 
on  Plowden's  History  of  Ireland,  where- 
in the  historian  has  much  to  say  ,of  the 
splendid  efforts  of  the  Irish  literati — 
their  essays,  histories,  and  learned  effu- 
sions, or  rather  the  assumed  absence  of 
such,  on  account  of  the  wicked  irrup- 
tion of  the  Danes  in  the  ninth  and 
tenth  centuries— says  that  in  such  an 
apology  there  is  something  that  strong- 
ly reminds  one  of  the  Irish  advertise- 
ment : 

"  Lost,  on  Saturday  last,  but  the  loser 
does  not  know  when  or  where,  an  emp- 
ty sack,  with  a  cheese  in  it.    On  the 
sack  the  letters  '  P.  G.'  are  marked,  but  ^ 
so  completely  worn  out,  as  not  to  be 

legible." 

> 

Carmeline  the  Dentist's  Sign. 

Cakmeline,  the  famous  toothdrawer 
and  maker  of  artificial  teeth,  had  his 
portrait  painted  and  placed  in  his 
chamber  window,  with  a  motto  taken 
from  Virgil's  line  of  the  Golden  Bough, 
in  the  sixth  book  of  the  ^neid : 
"  Uno  avulso,  non  deficit  alter." 

The  application  of  this  line  [When 
one  is  drawn  out,  another  is  never 
wanting]  was  extremely  happy. 


Criticism  of  a  Hatter's  Si^n. 

A  joxmNEYMAN  hatter,  a  companion 
of  Dr,  Franklin,  on  commencing  busi- 
ness for  himself,  was  anxious  to  get  a 
handsome  signboard  with  a  suitable 
inscription.  This  he  composed  himself, 
as  follows :  "  John  Thompson,  hatter, 
makes  and  sells  hats  for  ready  money^^ 
with  the  figure  of  a  hat  subjoined.   But 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


317 


he  thought  he  would  submit  it  to  his 
friends  for  criticism — and  amendments, 
if  susceptible  of  any. 

The  first  he  showed  it  to  thought 
the  word  hatter  tautologous,  because 
followed  by  the  words  "  makes  hats," 
which  of  themselves  showed  he  was  a 
hatter.  It  was  struck  out.  The  next 
observed  that  the  word  makes  might 
as  well  be  omitted,  because  his  custo- 
mers would  not  care  who  made  the 
hats — if  good,  and  to  their  mind,  they 
would  buy,  by  whomsoever  made.  He 
struck  that  out  also.  A  third  said,  he 
thought  the  words  for  ready  money 
were  useless ;  as  it  was  not  the  custom 
of  the  place  to  seU  on  credit,  every  one 
who  purchased  expected  to  pay.  These 
too  were  parted  with,  and  the  incrip- 
tion  then  stood,  "  John  Thompson  sells 
hats."  "  Sells  hats  ! "  says  his  next 
friend ;  "  why,  who  expects  you  to  give 
them  away?  What,  theh,  is  the  use 
of  the  word  ? "  It  was  struck  out,  and 
"  hats  "  was  all  that  remained  attached 
to  the  name  of  John  Thompson.  Even 
this  inscription,  brief  as  it  was,  was 
reduced  ultimately  to  John  Thompson, 
with  the  figure  of  a  hat  subjoined. 


Cabalistic  Sign  for  an  Alehouse. 

The  keeper  of  a  paltry  Scotch  ale- 
house having  on  his  sign,  after  his 
name,  the  letters  M,  D.  F.  R,  S.,  a  phy- 
sician, who  was  a  member,  or  fellow,  of 
the  Royal  Society,  asked  him  how  he 
presumed  to  affix  those  letters  to  his 
name.  "  Why,  sir,"  said  the  publican, 
"  I  have  as  good  a  right  to  them  as  you 
have."  "  What  do  you  mean,  you  im- 
pudent scoundrel  ? "  replied  the  doctor. 
"  I  mean,  sir,"  retorted  the  other,  "  that 
I  was  Drum  Major  of  the  Royal  Scots 
Fusileers." 


Pleajsant  History  of  a  Familiar  Word. 

Some  signboards  have  much  of  his- 
tory connected  with  them.  A  slight 
instance  of  this  sort  is  as  follows :  Be- 


fore the  year  1730,  the  EngUsh  publi- 
cans sold  to  the  thirsty  souls  of  their 
day  three  sorts  of  beer,  which  they 
drew  from  different  casks  into  the  same 
glass,  and  gave  to  this  mixture  the  name 
of  half-and-half.  The  owner  of  one  of 
these  resorts  (history  has  handed  down 
the  name),  Horwood,  wishing  to  spare 
himself  the  trouble  of  performing  this 
task  so  constantly  during  the  day,  hit 
upon  brewing  the  beer  which  would 
combine  the  qualities  of  all  these  beers. 
To  this  compoimd  he  gave  the  name 
of  "  Entire,"  which  has  adhered  to  it 
till  this  day,  at  least  on  the  signboards. 
It  was  afterward  christened  "jwr^er," 
because  principally  drunk  by  that 
class. 


Streets  and  Shop  Sigms  in  Canton. 

.The  streets  of  Canton  present,  to  a 
stranger,  an  extraordinary  sight ;  they 
are  very  narrow,  and  hung  about  in  all 
directions  with  signs  and  advertise- 
ments. Every  shop  has  a  large  upright 
board  on  each  side  of  the  door,  usually 
painted  white,  and  on  it,  in  red  dr 
black  letters,  is  inscribed  a  list  of  all 
the  articles  sold.  Other  signs  are  hung 
over  the  street,  and  some  are  fixed  to 
poles  reaching  from  one  side  of  the 
street  to  the  other.  Many  of  these  dis- 
play puffing  advertisements,  such  as — 
"  This  Old  Established  Shop,'"  etc.  ; 
"  The  Befulgent  Sign  :  Original  Maker 
of  the  finest  quality  of  Oaps,''^  etc. ;  "  Can- 
ton Security  Banking  Establishment ;'''' 
and  "  No  two  Prices  at  this  Shop  "  is  a 
very  common  notification.  The  Chi- 
nese, writing  looks  very  well  in  this 
way ;  and  being  generally  red  letters 
upon  white,  black  upon  red  or  yellow, 
and  blue  upon  white,  the  array  of  signs 
presents  a  most  gaudy  and  extraordi- 
nary appearance. 


Ancient  Pictorial  Signboards. 

It  became  quite  customary,  in  the 
seventeenth  century,   among   English 


318 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


traders,  to  have  emblazoned  some  ani- 
mal or  object  spreading  upon  the  sign- 
boards, in  order  more  efifectually  to 
catch  the  eye.  In  course  of  time,  when 
fancy  became  capricious,  something 
more  grotesque  or  piquant  was  adopt- 
ed, such  as  blue  boars,  black  swans, 
red  lions,  flying  pigs,  hogs  in  armor, 
swans  with  two  necks,  and  all  such 
queer  skimble-skamble  stuff.  Then 
there  were  multitudes  of  compound 
signs,  such  as  the  fox  and  seven  stars, 
ball  and  neat's  tongue,  dog  and  grid- 
iron, sheep  and  dolphin,  pig  and  whis- 
tle. These  comical  combinations  seem 
to  have  originated  in  the  apprentice 
quartering  his  master's  symbol  with 
his  own,  like  the  combined  but  very 
dissimilar  arms  of  a  matrimonial 
heraldic  alliance.  Some  curious  in- 
stances of  this  kind  are  given  on 
another  page  of  this  department  of 
Anecdotes. 

In  not  a  few  instances — which  can 
be  traced  to  the  ignorance  of  the  peo- 
ple, or  the  customary  contraction  or 
abbreviation  of  speech — these  absurd 
emblems  became  most  ridiculously  per- 
verted. Thus,  the  Bologne  mouth,  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor  of  Bologne,  in 
France,  became  the  "  bull  and  mouth ; " 
a  noted  traveller's  inn  in  St.  Martin's 
lane,  the  Satyr  and  Bacchanals,  became 
the  "  devil  and  bag  of  nails ;  "  and  the 
praiseworthy  legend  or  phrase,  "  Qod 
encompasseth  us,''^  became,  after  being 
many  times  mouthed  over  by  vari- 
ous provincial  ists,  profanely  metamor- 
phosed into  the  "  goat  and  cow  passes." 
These  signs,  which  then  projected  into 
the  street  at  all  lengths  and  angles, 
where  they  swung  from  their  elegant 
and  elaborately  curled  iron  supports, 
creaked  to  and  fro,  most  hideously, 
with  every  blast. 


Joke  upon  a  Boston  Sign. 

A  soiiEMN-LooKiNG  fellow,  with  a 
certain  air  of  dry  humor  about  the 
comers    of  his   rather  sanctimonious 


mouth,  stepped  quietly,  one  day,  into 
the  well-known  establishment  of  "  Call 
&  Tuttle,"  Boston,  and  quietly  re- 
marked to  the  clerk  in  attendance, 
"I  want  to  tuttle."  "What  do  you 
mean,  sir  ?  "  "  Well,  I  want  to  tuttle  : 
noticed  the  invitation  over  your  door, 
so  I  ^called,''  and  now  I  should  like 
to  tutth!"  He  was  ordered  to  leave 
the  establishment,  which  he  did,  with 
an  assumed  look  of  angry  wonder,  and 
facetiously  grumbling  to  himself,  "If 
they  don't  want  strangers  to  '  call  and 
tuttle,'  what  do  they  put  up  a  sign  for, 
calling  'em  in  to  do  it  ?  " 


"Cotton  is  Quiet." 

In  consequence  of  the  snow,  says 
Punch,  Liverpool  was  last  week  in  a 
state  of  isolation  from  the  rest  of  the 
world,  there  being  no  traffic  by  rail 
or  news  by  letter,  and  indeed  nothing 
by  which  any  idea  could  be  formed 
of  the  doings  or  condition  of  the  Liv- 
erpoolians.  Of  course,  indefatigable 
efforts  were  made  to  open  the  com- 
munication with  the  metropolis ;  but 
all  was  in  vain,  for  the  ordinary  electric 
telegraph  had  got  into  a  state  of  en- 
tanglement through  the  ice  and  snow, 
thus  baffling  all  hopes  of  hearing  any- 
thing from  Liverpool. 

Bills  were  falling  due  in  London,  and 
were  being  dishonored  for  want  of 
"  advice ; "  commercial  firms  were  fall- 
ing into  discredit,  and  all  for  want  of 
communication  with  the  north;  when 
at  last,  after  almost  superhuman  en- 
deavors, it  was  announced  that  the 
magnetic  telegraph  had  succeeded  in 
bringing  news  from  Liverpool.  Every- 
body rushed  to  the  second  edition  of 
the  morning  papers,  to  drink  in  the 
long  looked-for  news,  when  public 
curiosity  was  put  in  possession  of  the 
fact,  that  by  tremendous  energy,  a  com- 
munication had  reached  London, 
bringing  the  news  that  "  Cotton  is 
quiet."  We  cannot  judge  of  the  effect 
of  this  intelligence  on  the  commercial 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


319 


world,  but,  to  us,  it  seems  as  though 
the  result  of  the  telegraphic  achieve- 
ments had,  after  "much  cry,"  ended 
in  "  little  wool " — though  there  might 
be  a  fair  supply  of  cotton. 

We  had  no  idea  that  the  condition 
of  this  raw  material  was  of  such  vital 
consequence  as  to  make  it  paramount 
to  every  other  subject  of  curiosity. 
"We  shall,  however,  henceforth,  look 
out  for  the  bulletins  about  cotton  with 
unprecedented  anxiety  and  interest. 
If  we  can  only  be  assured  by  the  paper 
on  our  breakfast  table  that  "  cotton  has 
had  a  quiet  night  and  is  better,"  we 
shall  have  all  our  mental  trepidations 
soothed,  and  shall  even  be  contented 
with  the  knowledge  that  "  cotton  is 
not  worse  " — or  worsted. 


Stock  Terms  in  the  Siokroom. 

M.  DE  Chirac,  a  celebrated  physi- 
cian, had  bought  some  joint-stock 
shares  at  what  proved  an  unlucky 
period,  and  was  very  anxious  to  sell 
out.  The  stock,  however,  continued 
to  fall  for  two  or  three  days,  much  to 
his  alarm.  His  mind  was  filled  with 
morbid  concern  in  regard  to  the  sub- 
ject, when  he  was  suddenly  called 
upon  to  attend  a  lady  who  im- 
agined herself  unwell.  He  arrived, 
was  shown  up  stairs,  and  at  once  felt 
the  lady's  pulse.  "It  falls!  it  falls! 
good  God  !  it  falls  continually  ! "  said 
he  musingly  though  audibly,  while 
the  lady  looked  up  in  his  face  all 
anxiety  for  his  opinion.  "  Oh,  M.  de 
Chirac,"  said  she,  starting  to  her  feet 
and  ringing  the  bell  for  assistance,  "  I 
am  dying !  I  am  dying !  it  falls — it 
falls— it  falls!"  "What  falls?"  in- 
quired the  doctor  in  amazement.  "  My 
pulse  !  my  pulse  ! "  said  the  lady ;  "  I 
must  be  dying  ! "  "  Calm  your  appre- 
hensions, my  dear  madam,"  said  M.  de 
Chirac,  "  I  was  speaking  of  the  stocks. 
The  truth,  is,  I  have  been  a  great  loser, 
and  my  mind  is  so  disturbed,  I  hardly 
know  what  I  have  been  saying." 


Phenomena  Extraordinary. 

The  following  announcement  of 
facts,  taken  from  a  city  advertising 
column,  may  fairly  be  said  to  come 
under  the  head  of  "  phenomena  extra- 
ordinary." In  one  place  it  is  announced 
that  there  may  be  had  "  An  airy  bed- 
room for  a  gentleman  twenty-two  feet 
long  by  fourteen  feet  wide  ; " — the  bed 
room  ought,  indeed,  to  be  airy,  to  ac- 
commodate a  gentleman  of  such  tre- 
mendous dimensions.  Again,  one  may 
read  of  "  A  house  for  a  family  in  good 
repair,"  which  is  advertised  to  be  let 
with  immediate  possession  ; — a  family 
in  good  repair  meaning,  no  doubt,  one 
in  which  none  of  the  members  are  at 
all  "  cracked."  Another  oddity  in  this 
line,  is  an  announcement  of  there  being 
now  vacant  "  A  delightful  gentleman's 
residence ; "  the  "  delightful  gentle- 
man" must  be  rather  proud  of  his 
delightful  qualities,  to  allow  himself 
to  be  thus  strangely  advertised  A 
rare  bit  in  this  way,  in  addition  to 
the  above  nwrceaux,  is  an  advertise- 
ment offermg  a  reward  for  "a  large 
Spanish  blue  gentleman's  cloak,  lost 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  market." 
The  fact  can  easily  be  realized,  of  a 
gentleman  looking  rather  blue  at  the 
loss  of  his  cloak ;  still  there  is  some- 
thing rather  unaccountable  in  his 
advertising  the  fact  of  his  blueness  in 
connection  with  the  loss  of  his  gar- 
ment. 


Q,uack  Advertisement  Two  Centuries 
A^ro. 

That  great— though  not  quite  the 
earliest — progenitor  of  the  newspaper 
tribe,  the  London  Gazette,  of  Nov. 
16th,  1660,  shows  that  the  quack  frater- 
nity of  that  day  were  the  first  to  avail 
themselves  of  its  pages  to  make  known 
their  nostrums.  It  is  really  astonish- 
ing to  see  what  an  ancestry  some  of  the 
quack  medicines  of  the  present  day 
have  had.  "  Nervous  powders,"  speci- 
fics for  gout,  rheumatism,  etc.,  seized 


320 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS   ANECDOTES. 


upon  the  newspapers  almost  as  early  as 
they  were  published.  Here  is  a  speci- 
men of  the  above  date — rising  two 
hundred  years  ago — which  might  still 
serve  as  a  model  for  such  announce- 
ments : 

"  Gentlemen,  you  are  desired  to  take 
notice,  That  Mr.  Tkeophilus  Buckworth  doth 
at  his  house  on  Mile-end-Green,  make  and 
expose  to  sale,  for  the  publick  good,  those 
so  famous  Lozenges  or  Pectorals  approved 
for  the  cure  of  Consumption,  Coughs,  Ca- 
tarrhs, Asthmas,  Hoarseness,  Strongness  of 
Breath,  Colds  in  General,  Diseases  incident 
to  the  Lungs,  and  a  sovereign  Antidote 
against  the  Plague,  and  all  other  contagious 
Diseases,  and  obstructing  of  the  Stomach : 
and  for  more  convenience  of  the  people, 
constantly  leaving  them  sealed  up  with  his 
coat  of  arms  on  the  papers,  with  Mr.  Hich. 
Lowndes  (as  formerly),  at  the  sign  of  the 
White  Lion,  near  the  little  north  door  of 
PauVs  Church;  Mr.  Henry  Seile,  over 
against  S.  Dunstan's  Church  in  Fleet  Street : 
Mr.  William  Milward  at  Westminster  Hall 
Gate ;  Mr.  John  Place,  at  FurnivaPs  Inn 
Gate  in  Holborn  ;  and  Mr.  Pobert  Horn,  at 
the  Turk's  head  near  the  entrance  of  the 
Royal  Exchange,  Booksellers,  and  no  others. 

"  This  is  published  to  prevent  the  designs 
of  divers  Pretenders,  who  counterfeit  the  said 
Lozenges  to  the  disparagement  of  the  said 
Gentleman,  and  great  abuse  of  the  people. — 
Mercuritis  Politicus,    Nov.  16,  1660." 


Saklns  and  Banking:. 

A  Sad  blunder  is  mentioned  by  a 
writer  in  "  Harper's,"  showing  that  the 
best  signs  do  fail  sometimes.  He  says 
that  old  Mr.  Spoon  kept  a  cake  and 
beer  shop  in  the  village,  and  made  a 
fortune  in  the  business,  leaving  his 
money  and  the  stand  to  his  only  son, 
who  has  long  been  flourishing  on  his 
father's  profits,  and  turning  up  his  nose 
at  the  baking  business  as  altogether 
beneath  a  sprig  of  his  quality.  As 
soon  as  the  old  man  was  fairly  under 
the  sod,  the  rising  son  fitted  up  the 
shop  on  the  comer,  put  in  a  show 
window,  through   which  a  heap    of 


bills  and  shining  gold  was  seen,  and 
over  the  door  he  spread  a  sign  in  hand- 
some gilt  letters — "  Bakking  House." 
He  was  now  in  a  new  line,  adapted  to 
his  taste  and  genius.  One  day,  as  he 
was  lolling  over  the  counter,  a  stranger 
drove  his  horses  close  to  the  door,  and 
called  out  to  the  new  broker :  "  I  say, 
Mister,  got  any  crackers '?  "  Spo&n  (very 
red  and  indignant)  :  "  None  at  all ; 
you've  mistaken  the  place."  "Any 
,  cakes,  pies,  and  things  ? "  "  No,  sir  !  " 
— accompanied  by  a  look  intended  as 
an  extinguisher.  Stranger  (in  turn 
getting  red) :  "  Then  what  on  airth 
makes  you  have  'Baktn'  House' 
writ  in  sich  big  letters  over  your  door 
for?  Tell  me  tJiatP^  The  diflference 
between  "baking"  and  "hawking" 
was  not  so  great  as  young  Spoon  sup- 
posed. 

> 

Questionable  Sigm  for  a  Clothier. 

A  SIGN  painter  being  called  upon  to 
letter  the  front  of  a  large  general  cloth- 
ing establishment,  finished  one  line 
across  the  whole  front  thus  : 

"  Dealer  in  all  Sorts  of  Ladies'  " 

— and  finding  his  ladder  too  long  to 
paint  the  next  line,  returned  to  his 
house  to  get  one  of  suitable  length ; 
but  stepping  unguardedly  upon  a 
stone,  it  turned  his  foot  up,  spraining 
his  ankle,  so  that  he  could  not  finish 
the  lettering  till  the  next  day. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  people — rea- 
sonably enough — stared  at  the  new 
sign,  and  many  of  them,  knowing  the 
character  of  the  man  to  be  strictly  in 
keeping  with  that  of  a  good  husband, 
father,  and  citizen,  it  was  certainly  un- 
accoimtable ;  as  "  all  soi'ta  of  ladies,^'' 
in  a  city  like  New  York,  comprised 
commodities  at  their  antipodes,  the 
best  and  worst  on  earth. 

The  citizens  made  themselves  busy 
that  day  in  surmises,  scurrilous  innuen- 
does, and  injurious  quizzings;  which 
could  be  hardly  overcome  when  the  fin- 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


821 


ishing lettering,  '■'•and  Gentlemen'' s ready- 
made  Clothing,''^  was  at  last  added. 


Out  of  Style. 

One  of  the  most  eminent  painters 
of  signs,  in  London,  was  Mr.  Wale, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Royal  Acad- 
emy, and  who  was  appointed  the  first 
professor  of  perspective  in  that  institu- 
tion. The  most  notable  of  his  achieve- 
ments in  signboards,  was  a  whole 
length  of  Shakspeare,  about  five  feet 
high,  which  was  executed  for  and  dis- 
played at  the  door  of  a  public  house, 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  Little  Russell 
street,  Drury  Lane.  It  was  enclosed  in 
a  sumptuously  carved  gilt  frame,  and 
suspended  by  rich  ironwork,  the  cost 
being  several  hundred  pounds.  But 
this  splendid  and  costly  object  for  at- 
tracting trade  did  not  hang  long, 
before  it  was  taken  down,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  act  of  parliament  which 
was  passed  for  removing  signs  and 
other  obstructions  from  the  streets  of 
London.  Such  was  the  total  change 
of  style  and  fashion,  and  the  universal 
disuse  of  such  signs,  that  this  costly 
representation  of  the  great  dramatist 
was  sold  for  hardly  more  than  its  value 
as  oven  wood,  to  a  broker,  at  whose 
door  it  stood  for  several  years,  until  it 
was  totally  destroyed  by  the  weather 
and  various  accidents. 


Natural  Advertisiner. 

Several  years  ago,  and  soon  after 
the  "  anti-license  law  "  went  into  force 
in  the  Green  Mountain  State,  a  traveller 
stopped  at  a  village  hotel  and  asked 
for  a  glass  of  brandy.  "Don't  keep 
it,"  said  the  landlord ;  "  forbidden  by 
law  to  sell  liquor  of  any  kind."  "  The 
deuce  you  are  ! "  retorted  the  stranger 
incredulously.  "  Such  is  the  fact," 
replied  the  host ;  "  the  house  don't 
keep  it."  "  Then  bring  your  own 
bottle,"  said  the  traveller,  with  decis- 
ion ;  "  you  needn't  pretend  to  me  that 
21 


you  keep  that  face  of  yours  in  repair  on 
water."  The  landlord  laughed  heartily, 
and  his  "  private  "  bottle,  advertised  so 
well  in  his  phiz,  was  at  once  forth- 
coming. No  mere  decanters  or  arti- 
ficial signs  were  needed  in  his  case. 


Class  Advertisements  in  City  Papers. 

Both  in  Europe  and  the  United 
States  there  are  newspapers  which  are 
distinguished  by  class  advertisements. 
The  London  Times,  in  its  multifarious 
announcements,  may  be  said  to  have 
no  speciality  in  this  respect.  But  the 
Morning  Post,  of  the  same  city,  almost 
exclusively  monopolizes  the  advertise- 
ments which  relate  to  fashions  and 
high  life  ;  the  Morning  Advertiser,  the 
organ  and  property  of  the  liquor  ven- 
dors, obtains  the  lion's  share  of  what- 
ever pertains  to  that  craft ;  the  Morning 
Herald,  even  yet,  though  its  cii'culation 
is  greatly  reduced,  contains  a  goodly 
array  of  auction  sales  of  property ;  the 
Era,  and  Sunday  Times  contain  a  ma- 
jority of  theatrical  advertisements; 
the  Shipping  Gazette  chronicles  the 
times,  rates,  and  ports  of  departure,  for 
the  commercial  marine ;  Bell's  Life  is 
devoted  to  the  sporting  fraternity ;  the 
Athenaeum  has  the  principal  portion 
of  the  book  advertisements — and  so 
on,  through  an  extensive  series. 

In  the  city  of  New  York,  the  Herald 
and  the  Sun  may  be  said  to  engross  the 
greater  part  of  the  "  wants "  and 
"  boarding  "  advertisements ;  the  Tri- 
bune and  Evening  Post  have  a  consid- 
erable proportion  of  the  literary  and 
real  estate  announcements ;  the  Courier 
and  Enquirer,  or  the  World,  is  a  favor- 
ite organ  of  the  auctioneers ;  the  Jour- 
nal of  Commerce,  Commercial  Adver- 
tiser, and  Express,  have  their  full  share 
of  the  shipping  notices ;  the  DaUy 
Times  engrosses  a  liberal  share  of  the 
banking  and  financial  advertisements ; 
and  the  other  dailies  and  weeklies 
combine,  more  or  less,  all  these  vane- 


322 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


ties,    without    being   considered    the 
medium  of  any  one  kind  in  particular. 


First  Advertisement  in  America. 

The  first  newspaper  in  America 
(with  the  exception  of  a  solitary  copy 
issued  in  1690),  the  "iVews  Xerter," 
published  iu  Boston,  Sept.  24th,  1704, 
i,  contained  a  notice  by  the  publisher, 
inviting  advertisements;  and  in  the 
succeeding  number,  May  1st,  1704,  was 
one  response — theirs*  -newspaper  adver- 
tisement in  America,  as  follows : 

"  Lost  on  the  10.  of  April  last,  off  Mr. 
Shippens's  Wharf  in  Boston,  Two  Iron  An- 
vils, weighing  between  120  and  140  pound 
each :  Whoever  has  taken  them  up,  and 
will  bring  or  give  true  intelligence  of  them 
to  John  Campbel,  Post-Master,  shall  have  a 
sufficient  reward." 

The  charges  for  advertising  then,  as 
given  in  the  first  number  of  the  "  Ifews 
Letter,''^  were  to  be  "  at  a  Reasonable 
Rate,  from  Twelve  Pence  to  Five  Shil- 
lings, and  not  to  exceed :  Who  may 
agree  with  John  Camplel,  Post-master 
of  Boston^ 

Compare  the  above  with  the  seven 
solid  columns  which  sometimes  consti- 
tute a  single  advertisement  in  city 
newspapers  at  the  present  day ! 


"  Punch  "  on  Commercial  Phraseology. 

In  the  intelligence  from  the  Brazils, 
last  week,  we  met,  says  Punch,  in  one 
of  the  papers,  with  the  following  curi- 
ous paragraph  :  "  Dry  Germans  opened 
at  59|  reals,  but  declined  to  58  for 
half  ox,  half  cow,  and  60  for  ox,  this 
quotation  being  merely  nominal." 

The  above  is  a  complete  mystifica- 
tion. Of  course,  in  our  travelling  ex- 
periences, we  have  met  with  many 
"dry  Germans,"  but  we  little  sus- 
pected that  they  ever  formed  an  article 
of  commerce.  Besides,  who  could 
wish  to  purchase  a  "  dry  German "  ? 
Then  the  question  arises,  how  do  you 
dry  a  German  ?    After  this,  comes  the 


further  mystery  of  his  being  "  opened." 
It  is  rather  undignified  to  talk  in  this  way 
of  a  "  dry  German,"  as  if  he  were  no  bet- 
ter than  a  dried  haddock,  or  a  cured  her- 
ring, or  a  Teutonic  mummy,  that  had  the 
accumulated  dust  and  cobwebs  of  cen- 
turies upon  him.  However,  we  are  so 
far  pleased  as  to  notice  that  "  dry  Ger- 
mans" fetch  so  good  a  price — in  the 
"  dry  goods  "  market,  we  suppose.  It 
is  more  than  we  should  feel  inclined  to 
give  for  such  a  specimen  of  dried  meta- 
physics and  transcendentalistic  Kant- 
ism. 

But  another  puzzle  that  bewilders  us 
still  more  is  the  revelation  that  your 
"  dry  German  "  is  "  half  ox,  half  cow." 
We  have  heard  of  the  multifarious 
nature  pertaining  to  an  Irish  hull,  and 
of  a  vache  Espagnole,  and  of  other 
curiosities  belonging  to  the  animal 
kingdom;  but  we  must  confess  that 
such  an  ethnological  specimen  as  a 
"  dry  German,"  who  was  at  the  same 
time  "  half  ox,  half  cow  " — having  the 
head  of  an  ox  and  the  tail  of  a  cow, 
perhaps — never,  fortunately  for  us, 
crossed  our  scientific  path  before.  We 
are  so  mystified  that  we  must  write  to 
Prof.  O.  on  the  subject,  though  it  looks 
very  suspiciously  as  if  Barnum,  under 
a  strong  attack  of  "  animal "  spirits, 
had  had  a  hand  in  stitching  this  new 
hybrid  together,  for  the  enrichment  of 
his  Museum.  However,  our  Foreign 
OflSce,  that  always  evinces  such  a 
strong  sympathy  for  German  interests, 
should  take  the  matter  up.  If  slavery 
is  abolished,  why,  we  want  to  know, 
are  "  dry  Germans  "  thus  offered  pub- 
licly for  sale  ? 


Dialects  of  Different  Trades. 

Evert  trade  has  its  own  peculiarities 
and  its  own  dialect.  Stage  drivers  and 
hostlers  have  a  language  of  their  own. 
Hod  carriers  and  masons  always  speak 
understandingly  to  each  other,  if  not 
to  strangers.  Thieves  and  gamblers 
have  their  own  phrases,  and  house- 


COMMERCIAL  ART   AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


823 


breakers  their  signs  ;  all  of  which  is  as 
unintelligible  to  the  uninitiated  as  so 
much  Greek. 

Drygoods  dealers  and  grocers  have 
a  language  of  their  own.  In  speaking 
of  the  standing  of  a  countryman,  they 
often  say  he  is  good — they  have  sold 
him,  or  are  going  to  sell  him — which 
means,  not  that  they  have  sold  him 
for  a  price,  but  that  they  have  trusted 
him  with  a  certain  amount  of  goods. 
They  are  never  heard  to  say  they  have 
l>ought  him.  So  at  auction  sales  they 
have  signs ;  if  they  want  to  bid  two 
dollars  a  dozen  for  a  box  of  gloves,  or 
two  dollars  apiece  for  a  box  of  ribbons, 
they  hold  up  two  fingers ; — and  if  a 
business  man  is  in  an  omnibus  and 
wants  the  driver  to  take  pay  for  one, 
when  he  hands  up  a  quarter  he  will 
hold  up  one  finger  to  him,  while  a  law- 
yer or  mechanic  will  bawl  out,  ''  One — 
take  out  one,  one,  one." 

Grocers  talk  about  things  in  their 
trade  being  heavy,  hard,  quick,  slow, 
and  easy.  Thus  feathers  may  be  heavy, 
cotton  down,  pork  slow,  beef  quick, 
oranges  flat,  &c. 

Brokers  have,  like  all  others,  a  lan- 
guage of  their  own.  Thus,  "  b  3  " 
means  that  the  buyer  has  the  privilege 
of  taking  the  stock  any  time  within 
three  days;  "b  30,"  within  thirty 
days.  If,  for  instance,  A  buys  one 
hundred  shares  of  Canton,  of  B,  b  30, 
he  can  call  upon  B  to-morrow,  or  next 
day,  or  next  week,  or  whenever  he 
chooses,  for  the  stock,  and  B  must 
deliver  it.  "  S  30  "  means  the  seller 
has  the  privilege  of  delivering  it  at 
any  time  he  chooses  within  thirty 
days.  The  seller  is  always  entitled  to 
interest  on  stocks  sold  on  time. 
"  Thwk  "  means  this  week ;  "  nwk," 
next  week ;  "  opg,"  opening  of  the 
transfer  books,  which  are  closed  for  the 
time  to  make  dividends. 


Trade  Placards  and  Shop  Bills. 
Notwithstanding  the  frequent  an- 
nouncement to  be  met  with,  "  Stick  no 


Bills,''''  bills  are  stuck  somewhere,  every- 
where, and  the  trade  of  the  bill-sticker, 
though  not  down  in  the  cyclopaedias 
of  commerce,  is  such  as  makes  him  a 
definite,  genuine,  distinct  character — 
one  who  keeps  alive  other  trades — and 
who  may  also  be  said  to  live  in  the  eye 
of  the  public  as  literally  as  any  other 
man  of  his  day.  If  not  a  literary  man, 
he  may  at  least  rank  as  a  commercial 
publisher,  largely  patronized  by  almost 
all  trades. 

There  is  one  singularity  in  the  fol- 
lower of  this  profession,  which  to  many 
is  a  mystery — that  he  invariably  pastes 
over  his  bills  on  both  sides;  having 
stuck  them  to  the  wall  or  boarding, 
he  is  not  content  with  that,  but  imme- 
diately gives  them  a  coat  of  paste  on 
the  outer  and  printed  side  as  well. 
This,  which  appears  to  others  a  sheer 
work  of  supererogation,  is  perhaps 
mysteriously  connected  with  some  im- 
portant element  in  the  process;  he 
knows. 

But  if  in  this  point  of  his  art  he 
puzzles  others,  he  himself  is  sometimes 
in  as  odd  a  predicament — for  instance, 
when  he  has  a  batch  of  announcements 
in  Hebrew,  addressed  to  the  "  children 
of  Israel."  While  conning  the  square 
letters,  he  will  get  perplexed  indeed 
as  to  which  end  of  the  poster  has  the 
most  right  to  stand  uppermost  on  the 
wall ;  and,  when  the  spectators  cannot 
help  him  to  a  conclusion,  he  will  solve 
the  problem  in  a  sort  of  hit-or-miss 
way,  by  placing  a  couple  of  copies  side 
by  side,  one  on  its  head,  the  other  on 
its  feet,  in  accordance,  it  may  be  sup- 
posed, with  the  prudent  maxim,  that  it 
is  better  to  lose  a  part  than  to  risk  the 
whole. 

This  bill  sticking  is,  after  all,  more 
of  an  art  than  shopkeepers  who  make 
use  of  it  are  accustomed  to  consider. 
Said  an  adept  in  the  business — the  very 
^apostle  of  it  in  one  of  the  large  cities 
— a  little  old  man  with  a  wooden  leg, 
equipped  with  a  long  cross-stick  and 
an  equally  long  hook  upon  his  shoul- 


324 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


der,  and  a  majestic  pot  of  paste  in 
front — "  These  young  fellows,  sir,  are 
quite  unfit  for  their  business.  They 
do  not  know  what  they  ought  to  do, 
and  sometimes  they  will  not  even  do 
what  they  know  they  ought.  When 
/undertake  a  bill,  I  go  over  the  whole 
town  with  it.  I  paste  it  from  end  to 
end!  I  also  take  care  never  to  cover 
over  a  bill  too  soon.  In  fact,  sir,  I  do 
justice  to  my  business  as  a  business 
man,  which  they  never  think  of  doing. 
Then,  sir,  how  can  they  pretend  to 
paste  a  bill  with  me  ?  Why,  they  have 
not  the  machinery!  (glancing  at  his 
cross-stick  and  hook). 

He  added — '  I'll  give  out  a  shop- 
bill,  too,  sir,  with  any  man  in  the 
country.  Some  that  pretend  to  do 
it,  give  their  bills  to  anybody  who 
will  take  them.  Now,  /  give  them 
only  to  people  who  are  going  in  the 
direction  of  the  shop.  Some  give  them 
to  people  who  they  can  see  at  a  glance 
are  too  poor  to  buy  goods — I  give 
them  only  to  people  who  can.  It 
requires  some  study,  sir,  to  give  out  a 
shop  bill  rightly ! " 


Odd  ComTninglings. 

The  subject  of  commercial  art  finds 
abundance  of  material,  and  of  the 
greatest  variety,  in  the  pictorial  signs 
and  embellishment  of  ware  now  so 
much  in  vogue.  Painting  stops  to 
make  progress  along  with  the  crafts 
of  buying  and  selling ;  nor  is  the  sister 
art  of  sculpture  discountenanced  by 
the  disciples  of  trade,  for  now  and 
then  the  bust  of  some  great  man  is 
found  presiding  over  the  stock  of  some 
petty  trade — Sir  Isaac  Newton  among 
piles  of  potatoes,  and  Shakspeare  and 
Milton  imbedded  among  the  thread, 
wax,  heel  ball,  and  sparables  of  the 
retail  leather  seller. 

Sometimes  a  tradesman  shows  his- 
torical proclivites.  Some  remarkable 
event  of  ancient  or  modem  days — some 
battle,  siege,  earthquake,  or   terrible 


volcanic  eruption  is  delineated  in  his 
shop  window,  as  a  background  to  his 
goods.  Thus,  the  earthquake  of  Lis- 
bon, the  overwhelming  of  Pompeii,  or 
the  forcing  of  the  Northwest  Passage, 
are  events  sought  to  be  illustrated  to 
the  spectator's  mind  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  vermin  by  Dosem's  Patent 
Cockroach  Exterminator,  or  the  new- 
ly invented  heel  tips  by  Simon  Bend- 
leather. 

With  eating  houses  and  coffee  shops, 
the  pictorial  subject  generally  consists 
of  a  loaf,  or  two  loaves,  of  bread,  a 
wedge  of  cheese  on  a  plate  of  the  wil- 
low pattern,  a  lump  of  "  streaky  bacon," 
a  cup  appearing  to  be  full  of  coffee,  or 
a  tankard  of  beer,  a  lump  of  butter  on 
a  plate,  and  a  knife  and  fork — perhaps 
a  bunch  of  radishes  and  a  red  herring, 
eloquent  of  relish. 

The  fishmongers  are  not  so  generally 
given  to  the  public  patronage  of  art, 
but  the  pedestrian  will  come  now  and 
then  upon  a  really  well-painted  picture 
gracing  the  wall  or  panel  of  the  fish- 
monger's stand.  It  may  be  a  group 
of  fish  in  the  grand  style — salmon, 
cod,  frost  or  silver  fish,  among  which 
crabs  and  lobsters  seem  temptingly 
dripping  with  the  salt  ooze ;  or,  it 
may  be,  a  coast  scene,  with  the  bluff 
fishermen  up  to  their  waists  in  the 
brine,  dragging  their  nets  upon  the 
beach,  which  is  covered  with  their 
spoils.  But  whatever  it  is,  it  is  sure  to  be 
pretty  w«ll  done,  if  executed  under  the 
artistic  auspices  of  the  fishmonger. 


Very  Express-ive. 

The  symbol  long  adopted  by  the 
American  Express  Company  was  the 
picture  of  a  dog  guarding  a  safe. 
Their  new  building  upon  Hudson 
street,  New  York,  is  adorned  with 
a  fine  bas-relief  of  that  appropriate 
emblem  of  care  and  fidelity,  sculptured 
in  marble.  A  symbol,  less  felicitous, 
used  by  an  express  manager,  was  a 
greyhound  running  at  full  speed — ^in- 


THK  HIDE  DEALER'S  SIGN. 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


825 


tended  probably  to  indicate  despatch. 
Unfortunately  for  his  customers  it  ob- 
tained at  length  a  more  pregnant  sig- 
nificance, for  the  manager  himself  ran 
away.  It  only  wanted  a  sack  of  gold 
on  the  back  of  the  "  hound,"  to  render 
the  picture  perfect.  Another  express 
emblem,  used  somewhere,  has  been 
that  of  a  deer,  going  at  the  rate  of 
1.20,  to  signify  speed.  Hamden's  em- 
blem upon  a  circular  advertising  the 
first  express  between  the  New  World 
and  the  Old,  was  a  vignette  representing 
the  two  hemispheres,  with  himself 
striding  from  one  to  the  other — one 
foot  being  on  the  American  shore,  and 
the  other  on  "  the  chalky  clifis  of  Al- 
bion ; "  while  upon  his  back  he  carried 
a  bag  of  newspapers,  letters,  etc.  If, 
in  spanning  the  ocean  in  that  figura- 
tive way,  it  ever  occurred  to  the  fruitful 
brain  of  Hamden  that  a  suspension 
bridge  might  at  some  future  day  serve 
the  same  purpose,  he  wisely  kept  the 
crotchet  to  himself. 


Pawnbrokers'  Tliree  Balls. 

Though  the  fact  is  generally  ad- 
mitted that  the  three  golden  balls  of 
the  pawnbrokers  had  their  origin  with 
the  Italian  bankers — ^the  Lombards — 
it  is  an  interesting  point  quite  gener- 
ally overlooked  in  connection  with 
this  fact,  that  the  greatest  of  those 
traders  in  money  were  the  celebrated 
and  eventually  princely  house  of  the 
Medici  of  Florence.  They  bore  pills 
on  their  shield — and  those  pills,  as 
usual  then,  were  gilded — in  allusion 
to  the  professional  origin  from  whence 
they  had  derived  the  n»me  of  Medici ; 
and  their  commercial  agents  in  Eng- 
land and  other  countries  put  that  ar- 
morial bearing  over  their  doors  as 
their  sign,  and  the  great  reputation  of 
that  house  induced  others  to  put  up 
the  same  sign. 


Hide  Dealer's  Sig^i :  Rare  Bit  of 
Philosophy. 

The  proprietor  of  a  tanyard  adja- 
cent to  a  certain  town  in  Virginia, 
concluded  to  build  a  stand,  or  sort  of 
store,  on  one  of  the  main  streets,  for 
the  purpose  of  vending  his  leather, 
buying  raw  hides,  and  the  like.  After 
completing  his  building,  he  began  to 
consider  what  sort  of  a  sign  it  would 
be  best  to  put  up  for  the  purpose  of 
attracting  attention  to  his  new  estab- 
lishment ;  and  for  days  and  weeks  he 
was  sorely  puzzled  on  this  subject. 
Several  devices  were  one  after  the 
other  adopted,  and,  on  further  consid- 
eration, rejected. 

At  last  a  happy  idea  struck  him. 
He  bored  an  auger  hole  through  the  door 
posp,  and  stuck  a  calfs  tail  into  it,  with 
the  lushy  end  flaunting  out.  After  a 
while,  he  noticed  a  grave-looking  per- 
sonage standing  near  the  door,  with  his 
spectacles,  gazing  intently  on  the  sign. 
And  there  he  continued  to  stand,  dumb- 
ly absorbed,  gazing  and  gazing,  until 
the  curiosity  of  the  hide  dealer  was 
greatly  excited  in  turn.  He  stepped 
out  and  addressed  the  individual : 

"  Good  morning,"  said  he. 

"  Morning,"  said  the  other,  without 
moving  his  eyes  from  the  sign. 

"You  want  to  buy  leather?"  said 
the  storekeeper. 

"  No." 

"  Do  you  want  to  sell  hides  1 " 

"  No." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  a  farmer." 

"No." 

"  A  merchant,  maybe." 

"  No." 

"  Are  you  a  doctor  ? " 

"  No." 

"  What  are  you,  then  ? " 

"I'm  a  philosopher.  I  have  been 
standing  here  for  an  hour,  trying  to 
see  if  I  could  ascertain  how  that  calf  got 
through  that  auger  hole  !  " 


326 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Latin  on  Business  Sigms. 

There  went  from  the  good  city  of 
Baltimore,  some  years  ago,  to  Norfolk, 
Va.,  a  painter  of  signs,  who  professed 
to  know  a  thing  or  two  beyond  the 
general  run  of  his  craft.  He  took  very 
readily,  for  in  truth  he  was  no  mean 
workman.  Upon  every  sign  that  he 
painted,  he  put  his  "  imprint,"  Spbague 
(that  was  his  name),  to  which  he  com- 
placently added  the  Latin  word  fecit. 
The  unlearned, "  the  little  boys  and  all," 
supposing  the  two  words  to  constitute 
the  name  of  the  painter,  accosted  him 
everywhere  as  Mr.  Fecit,  Mr.  Sprague 
Fecit,  until  the  poor  fellow,  annoy- 
ed to  death  by  the  ridicule  which 
his  little  learning  had  brought  upon 
him,  ran  away.  He  was  some  years 
after  succeeded  by  another  knight  of 
the  brush,  from  the  same  goodly  city, 
who  was  something  of  a  humorist, 
and  disposed  to  throw  Latin,  like 
physic,  to  the  dogs.  He,  too,  painted 
many  signs  there,  but  was  content  to 
boast  of  his  work  in  plain  English,  as 
might  be  seen  by  the  modest  inscrip- 
tion, customary  with  him — "  Cofpmk 
did  iV 


Shopkeepers'  Nomenclature  of  Qoods. 

One  can  hardly  get  an  idea  of  how 
extensively  diffused  is  the  knowledge 
of  languages  in  a  community,  at  the 
present  day,  without  taking  notice  of 
the  signboard  and  shop  announcements 
which  meet  the  eye  at  every  turn.  In- 
deed, a  walk  along  any  of  the  principal 
shopping  thoroughfares  of  a  city,  will 
very  naturally  excite  one's  curiosity  as 
to  the  source  whence  so  many  traders 
derive  their  Greek,  etc. 

Thus,  a  tailor  draws  attention  to  his 
"  anaxyridian  trousers  " — ^presumed  to 
convey  the  idea  of  braceless  and  stay- 
less  trousers,  using  Greek  as  the  tai- 
lor would  have  it  used.  A  shop  is  called 
an  "  emporium  "  or  "  bazaar."  Some- 
times the  names  given  to  woven  goods 
is  an  elaborate  combination  of  Greek  or 


Latin  syllables,  to  denote  in  some  degree 
the  quality  of  the  cloth ;  sometimes  it  is 
an  imported  French  or  Italian  or  Span- 
ish name. 

Among  cotton  goods  may  be  found 
saccharillas,  nainsooks,  tarlatans,  su- 
rougs,  grandvilles,  Selampores,  denims, 
panos  da  Costa,  Polynesian  swansdown 
(did  the  cotton  come  from  the  breast 
of  a  swan,  or  did  it  grow  in  Polyne- 
sia ?),  doeskins  and  moleskins  and 
lambskins,  coutils  (sometimes  inele- 
gantly corrupted  into  "  cowtails  "),  and 
a  host  of  other  examples. 

The  woollen  and  worsted  people  are 
not  less  liberal  in  nomenclature,  for 
they  give  us  anti-rheumatic  flannel, 
swanskin,  valencias,  reversible  Witneys, 
double-surfaced  beavers,  Himalayas, 
satin-faced  doeskins  (a  doe  would 
hardly  know  himself  with  such  a  face), 
fur  James  beavers,  Moscow  beavers, 
Alpa  Viennas,  three-point  Mackinaws, 
barege -de-laine,  Saxe-Coburgs,  Orleans, 
napped  pilots,  double  Napiers,  ele- 
phanta  ribs,  elephant  beavers  (un- 
known to  naturalists,  certainly),  rhi- 
noceros skins,  paramattas,  barracans, 
moskittos,  stockinettes,  wildboars,  ura- 
venas  ponchos,  princettas,  plainbacks, 
fearnoughts,  chameleons,  figured  Amo- 
zonians  {exclusively  for  female  wear  ?), 
alpaca  inkas  and  madelinas,  velillos, 
and  cristales,  and  cubicas,  and  Circas- 
sians, madonnas,  balzarines,  durants, 
and  cotillons,  Genappes,  Henriettas, 
rumswizzles — all,  be  it  observed,  varie- 
ties of  woollen  and  worsted  goods. 

Nor  do  the  silk  dealers  forget  to  sup- 
ply us  with  mayonettes,  diaphanes, 
glac6  gros  d'Afrique,  brocatelles,  bar- 
rattheas,  armayine  royales,  Balmorals, 
paraphantons,  Radzimores,  moir6  an- 
tiques, Algerias,  levantines,  and  other 
oddly  named  goods. 

The  linen  folks,  too,  have  their  own 
favorite  list ;  such  as  dowlases,  ducks, 
drills,  huckabucks,  gray  Baden-Badens, 
drabbets,  crankies,  commodores,  "Wel- 
lingtons, dustings,  paddings,  Osna- 
burgs,  Ficklenburgs,  Silesias,  platillas, 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


827 


estapillas,  bretanas,  creas  legitimas, 
etc. 

The  loot  and  shoe  fraternity  give  us 
a  verbal  crash  in  the  "red  morocco 
leg  patent  goloshed  vandyked  button 
boot,"  and  the  "  ladies'  ottoman  silk 
goloshed  elastic  button  gaiter ; "  and 
the  more  classical  "  soccopedes  elasti- 
cus."  The  "  pannuscorium  boots" 
ought,  surely,  to  be  worn  by  every 
Latin  schoolboy ;  and  the  "  resilient 
boots"  must  not  be  forgotten  by  fas- 
tidious pedestrians  of  a  lexicological 
turn. 

But  the  tailors  beat  the  shoemakers 
all  hollow  in  their  Latin  and  Greek. 
The  "  subclavien  sector  "  is  tremendous 
— it  sounds  so  surgical-like ;  it  is,  how- 
ever, simply  a  tailor's  measure,  and  an- 
other tailor's  measure  is  the  "  registered 
symmetrometer."  It  would  be  some- 
what hazardous  to  say  how  many 
learned  names  besides  "  siphonia  "  are 
given  to  waterproof  garments.  There 
is  also  the  "  unique  habit,"  the  "  bis- 
unique  or  reversible  garment,"  and  the 
"  monomeroskiton  "  (long  enough  to 
form  a  very  pretty  Greek  lesson),  or 
"  single-piece  coat,  cut  from  one  piece 
of  cloth."  Then  we  have  the  "du- 
plexa,"  the  "registered  auto-crematic 
gown,"  and  the  "  patent  euknemeda." 

Nor  have  Tmts  and  lonnets  and  ho- 
siery and  shirts  been  left  unadorned 
with  Greek  and  Latin  trimmings  ;  wit- 
ness the  "ventilating  chaco,"  or  for- 
eign hat.  But  the  "  korychlamyd  " — 
a  helmet  cap — is  a  crusher.  The  "  no- 
vum pileum  "  hat  suggests  the  very  du- 
bious query,  whether  the  Latins  ever 
wore  silk  hats.  The  "  areophane  bon- 
net," a  pretty  name  for  a  pretty  gar- 
ment, is  too  transparently  beautiful  to 
seem  like  hard  Greek.  As  to  "  goffered 
crinoline,"  we  can  only  hint  that  it  is 
used  for  garments  which  men  folk  are 
supposed  to  know  nothing  about.  The 
"  brayama  gloves  "  we  cannot  interpret, 
and  flatly  "  give  it  up  !  " 

Of  shirts,  the  "  el  dorado "  must 
surely  be  a  golden  fit ;  if  not,  then  we 


can  try  the  "  eureka,"  the  "  corazza," 
the  "giubba,"  the  "  61astique  trans- 
pirante,"  the  "tourist  sottanello,"  the 
"  registered  sans-pli,"  and  others  so  be- 
dizened with  names  that  one  can  hard- 
ly recognize  them  as  plain,  honest, 
well-meaning  shirts. 

As  to  the  florid  and  prolific  nomen-t 
clature  of  the  patent-medicine  people, 
we  can  give  no  accurate  information, 
until  we  have  time  to  walk  leisurely 
among  them,  with  a  Greek  or  polyglot 
dictionary  in  hand. 

Pottery  used  to  be  pottery,  but  now 
it  is  "ceramic"  manufacture.  Burnt 
clay  would  be  a  poor,  dull  name  in- 
deed, but  "  terra  cotta  "  has  a  fine  aes- 
thetic sound  about  it.  Fine  China  is 
not  a  good  enough  name  for  statuette 
material — it  must  be  called  "Parian." 
The  good  people  of  yore  delighted  to 
look  at  a  magic  lantern,  but  now  it 
must  be  a  camera  obscura,  or  a  phan- 
tasmagoria, or  both ;  and  if  public,  the 
exhibition  must  be  called  by  the  name 
of  diorama,  cosmorama,  cyclorama,  pa- 
norama, polytechnic,  pantechnicon,  etc. 

A  rush  has  likewise  been  made  into 
Greek  and  Latin  by  musical  instrument 
makers,  who  give  us  piccolos,  harmon- 
iums, microchordions,  microphonic 
pianos,  eeolians,  ophicleides,  cornope- 
ans, floetinas,  flutinas,  accordions,  con- 
certinas, melodeons,  seraphines,  auto- 
phons,  serpentcleides,  enharmonic  gui- 
tars and  organs,  symphonions,  seolo- 
phons,  etc. 

Paying:  at  "Maturity." 

A  PEOMiNENT  mule  dealer,  doing 
business  in  Kentucky,  sold  a  lot  of 
stock  to  a  trader,  who  was  to  pay  him 
vafour  months — ^lawful  tender  in  Bour- 
bon. At  the  expiration  of  two  months 
the  trader  sent  him  an  accepted  bill  on 
New  York  for  half  the  money,  and 
wrote  him  he  would  pay  the  balance  at 
maturity.  After  overhauling  all  the 
maps  and  school  geographies,  he  goes 
down  to  the  store,  and  says,  "  See  here ! 


328 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


where  is  this  place  they  call  Maturity  ? 
I  can't  find  it  on  the  map,  and  I  have 
a  note  payable  there ;  and  I  fear  I 
won't  be  able  to  get  there,  for  I  can't 
find  it  on  the  map  I  " 


'Ditto." 


An  honest  old  man,  rather  ignorant 
of  the  improved  method  of  abbrevia- 
tion or  phraseology  in  business  ac- 
comits,  on  looking  over  his  grocer's 
bill,  occasionally  found  charges  like 
the  following :  «  To  1  lb.  tea— to  1  lb. 
ditto."  "  Wife,"  said  he,  » this  'ere's  a 
putty  business ;  I  should  like  to  know 
what  you  have  done  with  so  much  of 
this  'ere  ditto.''''  "  Ditto,  ditto,"  replied 
the  old  lady,  "  never  had  a  pound  of 
ditto  in  the  house  in  all  my  life  1 "  So 
back  went  the  honest  old  customer,  in 
high  dudgeon  that  he  should  have  been 
charged  with  things  that  he  had  never 
received.  "  Mr.  B.,"  said  he,  "  shan't 
stand  this — ^vrife  says  she  hain't  had  a 
pound  of  this  tamal  ditto  in  the  house 
in  her  life."  The  grocer,  thereupon, 
explained  the  meaning  of  the  term,  and 
the  customer  went  home  satisfied.  His 
wife  inquired,  if  he  had  found  out  the 
meaning  of  that  "  ditto."  "  Yes,"  said 
he,  "  as  near  as  I  can  get  the  hang  on't, 
it  means  that  I'm  an  old  fool,  and 
you're  ditto." 

« 

Where  "Tariff"  came  from. 

EvEKYBODY  knows  the  meaning  of 
the  word  "tariff" — viz.,  a  fixed  scale 
of  duties,  levied  upon  imports.  Let 
any  one  turn  to  a  map  of  Spain,  and  he 
will  notice  at  its  southern  point,  and 
running  out  into  the  Straits  of  Gibral- 
tar, a  promontory  which,  from  its  posi- 
tion, is  admirably  adapted  for  com- 
manding the  entrance  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean sea,  and  watching  the  exit  and 
entrance  of  all  ships.  A  fortress  stands 
upon  this  promontory,  called  now,  as  it 
was  also  called  in  the  times  of  the 
Moorish  domination  in    Spain,  "Ta 


rifa ;  "  the  name,  indeed,  is  of  Moorish 
origin.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  Moors 
to  watch,  from  this  point,  all  merchant 
ships  going  into  or  coming  out  of  the 
midland  sea ;  and,  issuing  from  this 
stronghold,  to  levy  duties  according  to 
a  fixed  scale  on  all  merchandise  passing 
in  and  out  of  the  Straits,  and  this  was 
called,  from  the  place  where  it  was 
levied,  "tarifa,"  or  "tarifi","  and,  in 
this  way,  the  word  has  been  acquired. 


Meaning:  of  "  Fund  "  and  "  Stock." 

The  term  fund  was  applied  origin- 
ally to  the  taxes  or  funds  set  apart  as 
security  for  repayment  of  the  principal 
sums  advanced,  and  the  interest  upon 
them ;  but  when  money  was  no  longer 
borrowed  to  be  repaid  at  any  given 
time,  the  term  began  to  mean  the  prin- 
cipal sum  itself.  These  facts,  of  course, 
apply  to  the  English  monetary  opera- 
tions. In  the  year  1751,  the  Govern- 
ment began  to  unite  the  various  loans 
into  one  fund,  called  the  consolidated 
fund — though  not  to  be  confused  with 
that  of  the  same  name  into  which  part 
of  the  revenue  is  collected ;  and  sums 
due  in  this  are  now  shortly  termed 
"  consols."  These  come  vmder  the  gen- 
eral denomination  of  "  stocks." 


Mercliants'  Keligious  Pormnlsa  or 
Phrases. 

There  are  many  little  religious  for- 
mulae, or  terms,  now  fallen  into  disuse, 
which  once  prevailed  universally  among 
those  engaged  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  trade  and  commerce.  "  Lav^ 
Deo  "  (Praise  be  to  God)  was  once  the 
usual  heading  of  every  page  of  a  mer- 
chant's journal.  When  goods  were  sent 
to  some  foreign  port,  the  bill  of  lading, 
as  it  is  technically  termed,  invariably 
stated  that  they  had  been  "  shipped  hy 
the  grace  of  Ood  in  and  upon  the  good 
ship  " — called  by  such  a  name.  A  pol- 
icy of  insurance  against  sea  risks  still 
begins  with  the  words,  "  In  the  name  of 
Ood,  Amen  ;  "  and,  up  to  a  late  date, 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


329 


all    commercial    appointments    were 
made  "  God  willing." 


Besponding:  to  an  Advertisement. 

An  important  mercantile  house  in 
New  York  had  occasion  to  advertise 
for  sale  a  quantity  of  brass  hoppers,  such 
as  are  used  in  coffee  mills.  But  instead 
of  brass  hoppers,  the  newspaper  read 
grass  hoppers.  In  a  short  time  the  mer- 
chant's counting  room  was  thronged 
with  inquirers  for  the  new  article  of 
merchandise  thus  advertised. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Invoice ;  how 
do  you  sell  grasshoppers  ?  "  said  a  fat 
merchant ;  "  what  are  they  worth  a 
hogshead  ? " 

The  importer  was  astonished;  but 
before  he  had  time  to  reply,  in  came  a 
druggist,  who,  being  bent  on  specula- 
tion, determined  to  purchase  the  whole 
lot,  provided  he  could  get  them  low. 
Taking  the  importer  aside,  for  fear  of 
being  overheard  by  the  merchant,  he 
asked  him  how  he  sold  those  grasshop- 
pers— if  they  were  prime  quality,  and 
whether  they  were  to  be  used  in  medi- 
cine. The  importer  was  about  opening 
his  mouth  to  answer  in  an  angry  man- 
ner to  what  he  began  to  suspect  was  a 
conspiracy  to  torment  him,  when  a 
doctor  entered,  smelling  at  his  cane, 
and  looking  wondrous  wise. 

"  Mr.  Invoice,"  said  he,  "  ahem  !  will 
you  be  good  enough  to  show  me  a 
specimen  of  your  grasshoppers  1 " 

^'■Grasshoppers!  grasshoppers!^''  ex- 
claimed the  importer,  as  soon  as  he 
had  a  chance  to  speak,  "  what,  gentle- 
men, do  you  mean  by  grasshoppers  ? " 

"  Mean  ? "  said  the  merchant,  "  why, 
I  perceive  you  have  advertised  the  ar- 
ticle for  sale." 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  druggist,  "  and 
when  a  man  advertises  an  article,  it  is 
natural  for  him  to  expect  inquiries  re- 
lating to  the  price  and  quality  of  the 
thing." 

"  Nothing  in  the  world  more  natu- 
ral," said  the  doctor.   "  As  for  myself  I 


have  at  present  a  number  of  cases  on 
hand,  in  the  treatment  of  which  I 
thought  the  article  might  be  service- 
able. But  since  you  are  so — ahem  1  so 
uncivil — why,  I  must  look  out  else- 
where, and  my  patients — " 

"  You  and  your  patience  be  hanged ! " 
interrupted  the  importer;  "  mine  is  fair- 
ly worn  out,  and  if  you  don't  explain 
yourselves,  gentlemen,  I'll  lay  this  poker 
over  your  heads ! " 

To  save  their  heads,  the  advertise- 
ment was  now  referred  to,  when  the 
importer  found  out  the  cause  of  his 
vexations,  by  reading  the  following: 
*'  Just  landed,  and  for  sale  by  Invoice 
&  Co.,  ten  hogsheads  prime  grasshop- 
pers." 

> 

Business  Puffin?  Two  Hundred  Tears 
Aero. 

Some  two  centuries  ago,  the  number 
of  shopkeepers  in  England  had  got  to 
be  so  numerous,  that  they  commenced 
-the  practice  of  genuine,  downright 
puffing — the  art  assuming  some  shapes 
hardly  ventured  upon  even  by  the 
boldest  at  the  present  day.  Some- 
times, for  example,  a  shopkeeper, 
scorning  a  direct  puff  advertisement 
of  his  articles,  commenced  with  ap- 
parent anger,  thus:  "Whereas  it  has 
been  maliciously  reported  that  A,  B.  is 
going  to  leave  off  business ;  "  and  then 
would  follow  an  earnest  assurance  that 
such  was  not  the  case — "  that  he  con- 
tinued, as  before,  to  sell  the  undermen- 
tioned articles,  at  lowest  prices."  A 
more  ingenious  plan  was  for  H.  Z.  to 
advertise  in  the  public  prints  that  a 
purse  of  gold,  of  large  amount,  with 
other  valuables,  had  been,  in  the  great 
hurry  of  business,  dropped  in  his  shop, 
and  would  be  restored  to  the  proper 
owner  on  describing  its  contents.  Of 
course,  every  one  was  disposed  to  deal 
with  such  an  honest  tradesman,  and 
the  latter  soon  found  his  supposititious 
purse  becoming  a  golden  reality  to 
him. 


330 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Transactions  in  tlie  Cab  Market. 

Though  the  numerous  fluctuations 
in  the  money  market  are  made  the  sub- 
ject of  acute  comments  in  the  public 
journals,  it  does  not  appear  that  any 
notice  is  taken  of  the  fluctuations  in 
the  cab  market,  which  are  upon  a  very 
wide  and  extensive  scale.  A  reporter 
for  one  of  the  English  papers — more 
enterprising  than  its  contemporaries — 
quotes  as  follows : 

During  the  gloom  which  prevailed 
for  a  portion  of  the  past  week,  the  pat- 
ent safeties  without  the  coupon — or 
blind  for  wet  weather — were  done  at  a 
shilling  a  mile ;  and  the  reduced  flves 
— or  old  clarences,  that  will  hold  five 
at  a  cram — were  buoyant  at  eighteen 
pence,  with  a  prospect  of  improvement. 
Open  cabs  during  the  rain  were  steady 
at  nothing,  and  the  list  shows  no  tran- 
sactions. 

There  was  a  rush  of  bears  from  the 
Adelphic  Theatre,  which  caused  the 
cab  market  to  assume  a  very  active  ap- 
pearance for  a  short  time ;  and  fathers 
of  families,  with  their  children,  were 
done  at  a  very  high  figure,  with  a  pros- 
pect of  advance  at  the  settlement. 

White  handkerchiefs  and  polished 
boots  were  freely  taken  at  lower  rates 
than  those  demanded  in  the  earliest 
part  of  the  day,  when  it  was  under- 
stood that  they  had  made  bargains  for 
time,  and  they  were  accordingly  made 
to  pay  for  the  accommodation  some- 
what heavily.  In  one  concern  there 
was  a  breaking  down,  and  a  conse- 
quent failure  in  making  the  deposits  at 
the  time  and  place  appointed.  This  is 
the  only  smash  in  the  cab  market  which 
we  have  to  report,  and  in  this  the  get- 
ting out  was  ultimately  arranged  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  parties. 


Striking  a  Bargrain. 

AuBEBY,  in  his  manuscript  collec- 
tions, relates  that  in  several  parts  of 
England,  when  two  persons  are  driving 


a  bargain,  one  holds  out  his  right  hand> 

and  says,  "  Strike  me ; "  and  if  the  other 

strike,  the  bargain  holds ;  whence  the 

phrase    "  striking    a    bargain."      The 

practice  is  retained  in  the  custom  of 

saying  "  Done  "  to  a  wager  ofiered,  at 

the  same  time  striking  the  hand  of  the 

wagerer. 

— < — 

"Five  Per  Cent." 

A  VEBDAKT-LOOKiNa  pcrsou  Called 
upon  a  jeweller  in  Montreal,  and  stated 
that  he  had  managed  to  accumulate, 
by  hard  labor,  for  the  few  past  years, 
seventy-five  dollars,  which  he  wished 
to  invest  in  something,  whereby  he 
might  make  money  a  little  faster ;  and 
he  had  concluded  to  take  some  of  the 
stock  and  peddle  it  out.  The  jeweller 
selected  what  he  thought  would  sell 
readily,  and  the  new  peddler  started 
on  his  first  trip.  He  was  gone  but  a 
few  days  when  he  returned,  bought  as 
much  again  as  before,  and  started  on 
his  second  trip.  Again  he  returned,  and 
greatly  increased  his  stock.  He  suc- 
ceeded so  well,  and  accumulated  so 
fast,  that  the  jeweller  ventured,  one 
day,  to  ask  him  what  profit  he  obtain- 
ed on  what  he  sold  ?  "  Well,  I  put  on 
'bout  five  per  cent."  The  jeweller 
thought  that  a  very  small  profit,  and 
expressed  as  much.  "  Well,"  said  the 
peddler,  "I  don't  know  as  I  exactly 
understand  about  your  per  cent.;  but 
an  article  for  which  I  pay  you  one  dol- 
lar, I  generally  sell  for^«e." 


Historical  and  Poetical  Si8:ns. 

It  is  related  of  a  barber  in  Paris, 
that,  to  establish  the  utility  of  his  bag 
wigs,  he  caused  the  history  of  Absalom 
to  be  painted  over  his  door ;  and  that 
one  of  the  profession,  in  an  English 
town,  used  this  inscription :  "  Absa- 
lom, hadst  thou  worn  a  periwig,  thou 
hadst  not  been  hanged."  It  is  some- 
where told  of  another,  that  he  inge- 
niously versified  his  brother  peruke- 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


331 


maker's  inscription :  under  a  sign  which 
represented  the  death  of  Absalom,  and 
David  weeping,  he  wrote  thus  : 
"  0  Absalom  !  0  Absalom  ! 
0  Absalom  !  my  son, 
If  thou  hadst  worn  a  periwig, 
Thou  hadst  not  been  undone ! " 


Jemmy  "Wrifirht's  Uodesty. 

Old  Jemmy  Wright,  an  eccentric 
barber  of  wide  and  harmless  fame  in 
his  day,  opened  a  shop  under  the  walls 
of  the  King's  Bench  prison.  The  win- 
dows being  broken  when  he  entered  it, 
he  mended  them  with  paper,  on  which 
appeared  "  Shave  for  a  penny,"  with 
the  usual  invitation  to  customers. 
Whether  his  proximity  to  the  gray 
walls  of  a  prison  had  a  salutary  in- 
fluence in  developing  his  honest  traits, 
cannot  with  certainty  be  stated ;  but 
over  his  door  were  scrawled  the  follow- 
ing words,  which  exhibit  the  rare  busi- 
ness quality  of  a  man  speaking  a  better 
word  for  others  of  his  craft  than  for 
himself: 

"  Here  lives  Jemmy  Wright, 

Shaves  as  well  as  any  man  in  England, 
Almost — not  quite." 


"  Take  Down  that  Old  Sigm." 

One  summer  morning,  quoth  the 
Knickerbocker,  Mr.  Leupp — well  known 
as  an  honored  merchant  in  New  York 
— ^was  standing  in  the  vestibule  of  the 
great  "  Leather  House,"  No.  20  Ferry 
street,  in  the  "  Swamp,"  when  some 
one,  passing  by  at  that  time,  and  look- 
ing up,  said,  "  Leupp,  why  don't  you 
take  down  that  old  sign,  '  Gideon 
Lee  '  ?  It's  all  worn  out ;  the  wood  has 
dropped  away  from  the  letters,  and  the 
paint  has  e'en  a'most  rolled  oflf  o'  them. 
Why  don't  you  take  it  down  and  split 
it  up  ? "  Leupp  looked  at  his  inter- 
locutor, with  that  watery,  blue,  full- 
pupiled,  interior  German  eye  of  his, 
and  with  a  motion  of  his  hand  waved 
the  questioner   on   his  way,  without 


saying  a  word  in  reply.  The  memory 
of  that  name  was  precious  in  the  es- 
teem of  Mr.  Leupp.  And  there  it  is 
still,  in  the  old  place. 

Signs  are  very  curious  things.  Down 
in  Murray  street,  there  may  be  seen 
some  rusty,  dingy,  forbidding-looking 
iron  chests — but,  like  Gideon  Lee's 
sign,  they  are  types  of  something 
worthy  to  be  remembered;  they  are 
safes  that  have  been  tried  by  fierce 
flames  for  hours  upon  hours  together, 
and  yet  delivered  their  precious  and 
otherwise  irrecoverable  contents  un- 
harmed. And  in  West  street,  toward 
the  Battery,  there  is  another  "  case  in 
p'int," — a  ship  chandler's  sign,  an 
anchor,  that  "  held  wonderful  onto  a 
schooner,"  in  a  celebrated  September 
gale,  and  a  block  and  tackle  that  seem 
coeval  with  Sol  Gil's  midshipman  sign, 
so  reverenced  by  himself  and  Captain 
Cuttle, 


ChArgingr  for  Advertisem.ents. 

The  practice  of  charging  for  adver- 
tisements commenced  at  a  very  early 
period.  A  few  might  at  first  have 
been  inserted  gratuitously,  but  the 
revenue  flowing  from  this  source  was 
so  obvious  a  consideration,  that  the 
system  soon  began  of  charging  a  flxed 
sum  for  each.  In  the  Mercurius  Llhra- 
riua,  a  bookseller's  paper,  it  is  stated 
that,  "  to  show  that  the  publishers  de- 
sign the  public  advantage  of  trade,  they 
will  expect  but  sixpence  for  inserting 
any  book,  nor  but  twelve  pence  for 
any  other  advertisement  relating  to  the 
trade,  unless  it  be  excessive  long."  The 
next  intimation  of  price  is  in  the 
Jocke/y's  Intelligencer,  which  charged 
a  shilling  for  each,  and  sixpence  for 
renewing.  The  Obsemator,  in  1704, 
charged  a  shilling  for  eight  lines ;  and 
the  Country  Gentleman's  Courant,  in 
1706,  inserted  advertisements  at  two 
pence  a  line.  The  Public  Advertiser 
charged  for  a  length  of  time  two  shil- 
lings for  each  insertion. 


332 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


The  Napoleon  of  Advertising'. 

Perhaps  the  crowning  fact  in 
modern  advertising  is  that  which  is 
stated  by  Thackeray,  in  his  "  Journey 
from  Comhill  to  Cairo,"  namely,  that 
"  WarrerCi  Blacking  "  is  painted  up  over 
an  obliterated  inscription  to  Psamme- 
tichus  on  Pompey's  Pillar  ! 

The  greatest  man  of  the  day,  how- 
ever, as  an  advertiser,  is  HoUoway,  of 
London,  who  expends  the  enormous 
sum  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  aimually,  in  advertisements 
alone. 

His  name  is  not  only  to  be  seen  in 
nearly  every  paper  and  periodical  pub- 
lished in  the  British  Isles,  but,  as  if 
that  country  were  too  "  pent  up  "  for 
this  individual's  exploits,  he  stretches 
over  the  whole  of  India,  having  agents 
in  all  the  different  parts  of  the  upper, 
central,  and  lower  provinces  of  that 
immense  country,  publishing  his  medi- 
caments in  the  Hindoo,  Ooordoo,  Gooz- 
ratee,  Persian,  and  other  native  lan- 
guages, so  that  the  Indian  public  can 
take  the  pills,  and  use  his  ointment,  as 
a  cockney  would  do  within  the  sound 
of  Bowbells. 

We  find  him  again  at  Hong  Kong 
and  Canton,  making  his  medicines 
known  to  the  Celestials  by  means  of  a 
Chinese  tranlation.  We  trace  him  from 
thence  to  the  Philippine  Islands,  where 
he  is  circulating  his  preparations  in 
the  native  languages.  At  Singapore 
he  has  a  large  depot ;  his  agents  there 
supply  all  the  islands  in  the  Indian 
seas.  His  advertisements  are  published 
in  most  of  the  papers  at  Sydney,  Ho- 
bart  Town,  Launceston,  Adelaide, 
Port  Philip,  and  indeed  in  almost 
every  town  of  that  region  of  the 
world. 

Returning  homeward,  his  pills  and 
ointment  are  found  on  sale  at  Valpa- 
raiso, Lima,  Callao,  and  other  ports  in 
the  Pacific.  Doubling  the  Horn,  we 
track  him  in  the  Atlantic:  at  Monte 
Video,    Buenos    Ayres,    Santos,    Rio 


Janeiro,  Bahia,  and  Pemambuco,  he  is 
advertising  in  Spanish  and  Portuguese. 

In  all  the  British  West  Indian  Is- 
lands, as  also  in  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Canadas,  and  the  neighboring  provin- 
ces of  Nova  Scotia  and  New  Bruns- 
wick, his  medicines  are  as  familiarly 
known,  and  sold  by  every  druggist,  as 
they  are  at  home. 

In  the  Mediterranean,  we  find  them 
selling  at  Malta,  Corfu,  Athens,  and 
Alexandria,  besides  at  Tunis,  and  other 
portions  of  the  Barbary  States. 

Any  one  taking  the  trouble  to  look 
at  the  Journal  and  Courier  of  Con- 
stantinople, may  find  in  these,  as  well 
as  other  papers,  that  Holloway's  medi- 
cines are  regularly  advertised  and  sell- 
ing throughout  the  Turkish  empire. 

And  even  in  Russia,  where  an  almost 
insurmountable  barrier  exists — the  laws 
there  prohibiting  the  entree  of  patent 
medicines — Holloway's  ingenuity  has 
been  at  work,  and  obviates  this  diflicul- 
ty  by  forwarding  supplies  to  his  agent 
at  Odessa,  a  port  situated  on  the  Black 
Sea,  where  they  filter  themselves  sur- 
reptitiously by  various  channels  into 
the  very  heart  of  the  empire. 

Afiica  has  not  been  forgotten 
by  this  determined  "  benefactor "  of 
suffering  humanity ;  he  has  an  agent 
on  the  river  Gambia,  also  at  Sierra 
Leone,  the  plague  spot  of  the  world, 
the  inhabitants  readily  availing  them- 
selves of  the  ointment  and  pills. 

Thus  it  is  that  HoUoway  has  made 
the  complete  circuit  of  the  globe,  com- 
mencing with  India,  and  ending  with 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  his 
medicines  are  published  in  the  Dutch 
and  English  languages. 


Business  Sigmboards  in  Different 
Nations. 

The  Roman  traders  and  venders  had 
their  signs ;  and  at  Pompeii  a  pig  over 
the  door  represented  a  wine  shop 
within. 

The  Middle  Ages  adopted  a  bush — 
"  Good  wine  needs  no  bush,"  &c.,  an- 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


333 


swering  to  the  gilded  grapes  at  a 
modern  vintner's.  The  bush  is  still  a 
common  sign.  At  Charles  the  First's 
death,  a  cavalier  painted  his  bush 
black.  Then  came  the  modem  square 
sign,  formerly  common  to  all  trades. 

Old  signs  are  generally  heraldric, 
and  represent  royal  bearings,  or  the 
blazonings  of  great  families.  Some 
of  these  will  be  found  briefly  noticed 
in  another  part  of  this  volume,  under 
the  title  of  "  Ancient  Pictorial  Sign- 
boards." The  White  Hart  was  pecu- 
liar to  Richard  the  Second ;  the  White 
Swan,  of  Henry  the  Fourth  and  Edward 
the  Third ;  the  Blue  Boar,  of  Richard 
the  Third;  the  Red  Dragon  came  in 
with  the  Tudors,  and  also  the  Rose 
and  Fleur  de  Lys ;  the  Bull,  the  Fal- 
con, and  Plume  of  Feathers  commemo- 
rated Edward  the  Fourth;  the  Swan 
and  Antelope,  Henry  the  Fifth ;  the 
Greyhound  and  Green  Dragon,  Henry 
the  Seventh;  the  Castle,  the  Spread 
Eagle,  and  the  Globe  were  probably 
adopted  from  Spain,  Germapy,  and 
Portugal,  by  inns  which  were  the 
resort  of  merchants  from  those  coun- 
tries. Then  there  were  the  Bear  and 
Ragged  Staff,  etc.,  and  some  the  origin 
of  which  is  lost  in  obscurity. 

Monograms  are  common  to  the  same 
period — as  Bait  and  Ton  for  Balton ; 
Hare  and  Ton,  for  Harrington.  The 
three  Suns  is  the  favorite  bearing  of 
Edward  the  Fourth;  and  all  Roses, 
red  or  white,  are  indications  of  politi- 
cal predilections.  Other  signs — and 
these  are  naturally  very  numerous— 
commemorate  historical  events. 

The  Pilgrim,  Cross  Keys,  Salutation, 
Catharine  Wheel,  Angel,  Three  Kings, 
St.  Francis,  etc.,  are  mediaeval  signs. 
Many  of  these  became  curiously  cor- 
rupted, as  already  mentioned  in  the 
anecdotes  of  ancient  pictorial  sign- 
boards above  referred  to.  As  addi- 
tional examples  of  this  amusing  verbal 
change  may  be  mentioned  that  of  the 
Coeur  Dor6  (Golden  Heart)  to  the  Queer 
Door ;  Pig  and  Whistle — ^Peg  and  Was- 


sail Bow ;  the  Swan  and  Two  Necks — 
Two  Nicks;  the  Goat  in  the  Golden 
Boots — from  the  Dutch,  Goed  in  der 
Gooden  Boote — Mercury,  or  the  God 
in  the  Golden  Boots ;  the  Cat  and 
Fiddle — the  Caton  Fidele. 

The  Swan  with  Two  Nicks  repre- 
sented the  Thames  Swans,  so  marked 
on  their  bills  under  the  "  Conservatory  " 
of  the  Goldsmiths'  Company.  The 
Coach  and  Horses  pertain  to  the  times 
when  the  superior  inns  were  the  only 
posting  houses,  in  distinction  to  such 
as  bore  the  sign  of  the  Packhorse. 
The  Fox  and  Goose  denoted  the  games 
played  -within ;  the  country  inn,  the 
Hare  and  Hounds,  the  vicinity  of  a 
sporting  squire. 

The  Puritans  altered  many  of  the  mo- 
nastic signs,  during  their  sway ;  such 
as  the  Angel  and  Lady,  to  the  Soldier 
and  Citizen.  The  Crusaders  brought 
in  the  signs  of  the  Saracen's  Head,  the 
Turk's  Head  and  the  Golden  Cross. 

In  the  various  business  signs  of  dif- 
ferent periods  may  be  read  every  phase 
of  ministerial  popularity,  and  all  the 
ebbs  and  flows  of  war — as,  the  Sir 
Home  Popham,  Rodney,  Shovel,  Duke 
of  York,  Wellington's  Head,  etc.  One 
such  sign,  in  Chelsea,  called  the  Snow 
Shoes,  still  indicates  the  excitement  of 
the  American  war. 

The  chemist's  sign  was  that  of  a 
dragon — some  astrological  device ;  the 
haberdasher  and  wool  draper,  the  gold- 
en fleece ;  the  tobacconist,  the  snuff- 
taking  Highlander;  the  vintners,  the 
ivy  bush  and  the  bunch  of  grapes; 
and  the  church-and-state  bookseller, 
the  Bible  and  crown. 


Harlow's  Sigm  Fainting:  Extra- 
ordinary. 

There  is  a  clever  anecdote  connect- 
ed with  the  ancient  and  celebrated  sign 
of  the  Queen's  Head,  Epsom.  This 
sign — that  is,  the  original,  for  the 
board  has  been  repainted — ^was  execut- 
ed by  Harlow,  an  eminent  artist,  and 
a  pupil  of  the  renowned  Sir  Thomas 


334 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Lawrence.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
consummate  vanity,  and  having  un- 
warrantably claimed  the  merit  of  paint- 
ing the  Newfoundland  dog  introduced 
in  Lawrence's  portrait  of  Mrs.  Anger- 
stein,  the  two  artists  quarrelled,  and 
Harlow  took  his  resentment  as  follows : 
He  repaired  to  the  Queen's  Head,  at 
Epsom,  where  his  style  of  living  hav- 
ing incurred  a  bill  which  he  could  not 
discharge,  he  proposed,  like  Morland, 
under  similar  circumstances,  to  paint  a 
signboard  in  liquidation  of  his  score. 
This  was  accepted.  He  painted  both 
sides :  the  one  presented  a  front  view 
of  her  Majesty,  in  a  sort  of  clever, 
dashing  caricature  of  Sir  Thomas's 
style ;  the  other  represented  the  back 
view  of  the  queen's  person,  as  if  look- 
ing into  the  signboard — and  underneath 
was  painted,  "  T.  L.,  Greek  street,  So- 
ho."  When  Sir  Thomas  met  him,  he 
addressed  him  with,  "  I  have  seen  your 
additional  act  of  perfidy  at  Epsom; 
and  if  you  were  not  a  scoundrel,  I 
would  kick  you  from  one  end  of  the 
street  to  the  other."  "  There  is  some 
privilege  in  being  a  scoundrel,  for  the 
street  is  very  long,"  replied  Harlow, 
unabashed,  but  moving  out  of  reach  of 
the  threatened  demonstration. 


Free  Shave  and  a  Drink. 

Theke  was  once  a  barber  who  had 
on  his  sign  the  words — 

"  What  do  you  think 
I  will  shave  you  for  nothing 
And  give  you  something  to  drink." 
A  man  went  in  on  the  supposed  in- 
vitation,  and,   after    he  was    shaved, 
asked  for  something  to  drink.     "  No," 
said  the  barber,  "  you  do  not  read  my 
sign  right.     I  say,   '  What !    do   you 
think  I  will  shave  you  for  nothing, 
and  give  you  something  to  drink  ? ' " 


"Words  have  tlieir  Meaning." 

A  MEDICINE  man  many  years  ago  had 
a  shop  in  Beekman  street,  New  York, 


where  he  sold  various  medicaments, 
which  were  duly  sign-ed  at  the  door, 
as  well  as  sealed  and  delivered  within. 
Conspicuous  among  these  signs,  was 
one  which  bore  the  following  inscrip- 
tion, namely,  "  The  Celebrated  Cure  for 
the  Spanish  Piles."  It  was  an  infallible 
specific  for  a  painful  malady,  the  ven- 
der said  one  day  to  a  friend,  "  but,  by 
gar  !  nobody  come  to  buy  him  !  Yet 
his  sign  is  biggest  one  at  de  door ! " 
The  friend  looked  at  the  sign.  "  I  see 
how  it  is,"  said  he ;  "  nobody  Jiere  has 
the  Spanish  piles — your  dgn  is  wrong. 
Have  it  changed  to  *  The  celebrated 
Spanish  cure  for  the  pUes.'  "  This  ad- 
vice was  taken,  and  a  few  days  after, 
the  foreign  pot'ecary  met  his  adviser  in 
the  street,  when,  holding  out  his  hand, 
with  a  cordial  smile  and  a  fervent 
grasp,  he  said,  '  Aha  !  it  is  ver'  good ; 
now  I  sell  de  Spanish  cure  ver'  moch ! 
Everybody  say  he  ver'  most  good 
t'ing ! " 

♦ — 

French.  Ideas  of  Advertising:. 

A  MARCHAND  de  papier — or  paper 
merchant — took  an  advertisement  of 
such  wares  to  a  provincial  newspaper 
in  France,  whose  regisseur  was  proprie- 
tor, printer,  and  all — besides  carrying 
on  a  little  of  another  kind  of  paper 
business.  The  gentleman  refused  to  in- 
sert the  advertisement.  * 

"Why  not?"  asked  the  dealer,  in 
astonishment.  "  Here's  the  money  down, 
if  you  are  afraid  of  that !  " 

"Heu!  heu!"  said  the  editor,  "I 
neither  want  your  money  nor  your  ad- 
vertisement. I,  too,  sell  paper — fools- 
cap, quarto,  letter  paper,  fine,  coarse, 
and  demi-fine,  besides  envelopes,  cards, 
and  letters  of  faire-part^  of  deaths  and 
marriages,  all  in  the  newest  style — a 
very  large  assortment,  I  cannot  pub- 
lish the  advertisement  of  any  one  who 
would  undersell  my  paper.  What  would 
you  have  ?  " 

Too  proud  to  make  vain  remon- 
strance, the  customer  went  away.    But 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY, 


335 


in  a  few  days  returned  to  the  ofBce, 
and  humbly  asked : 

"  Monsieur,  have  you  an  attic  to 
let  ? " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  I  don't  un- 
derstand your  question.  Pray,  now, 
what  project  can  you  have  in  respect  to 
my  attic  ? " 

"Before  I  can  explain  my  inten- 
tions," the  merchant  replied,  "you 
must  answer  my  question,  whether  you 
have  an  attic  to  let  ? " 

"  No,  I  have  not." 

"  Very  well,  monsieur ;  I  can  now 
proceed  to  business  without  fear  of  a 
rebuff.  Please  ins..rt  this  in  your  next 
number.  /  have  an  attic  to  let,  but  I 
thought  I  would  ask  whether  you  had 
one  to  let  also,  before  I  ventured  to 
present  the  advertisement." 


Pathos  and  Puffing:  Extraordinary. 

The  tone  of  sentiment  adopted  in 
advertising  the  death  of  a  trader  or 
man  of  business,  in  England,  not  unfre- 
quently  affords  matter  of  peculiar  enter- 
tainment. There  is  sometimes  a  face- 
tious— not  to  say  barefaced — union  of 
puff  and  despondency.  Here  is  one  of 
these  pseudo-lachrymose  specimens  of 
a  death :  "  Died,  on  the  11th  ultimo, 
at  his  shop  in  Fleet  street,  Mr.  Edward 
Jones,  much  respected  by  all  who  knew 
and  dealt  with  him.  As  a  man  he  was 
amiable,  as  a  hatter  upright  and  mod- 
erate. His  virtues  were  beyond  all 
price,  and  his  beaver  hats  were  only 
£1  4s.  each.  He  has  left  a  widow  to  de- 
plore his  loss,  and  a  large  stock,  to  be 
sold  cheap,  for  the  benefit  of  his  fam- 
ily. He  was  snatched  to  the  other 
world  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  just  as 
he  had  concluded  an  extensive  pur- 
chase of  felt,  which  he  got  so  cheap 
that  the  widow  can  supply  hats  at  a 
more  moderate  charge  than  any  house 
in  London.  His  disconsolate  family 
will  carry  on  the  business  with  punc- 
tuality." 


Alliteration  in  Advertising:. 

Advertising,  now-a-days,  has  be- 
come reduced — or  elevated  ! — to  a  sci- 
ence. Somebody  alUterises  in  this  man- 
ner, in  an  advertisement  of  an  asserted 
superior  article  of  marking  ink :  to  wit, 
that  it  is  remarkable  for  "  requiring  no 
preparation,  preeminently  preengages 
peculiar  public  predilection ;  produces 
palpable,  plainly  perceptible,  perpetual 
perspicuities ;  penetrates  powerfully, 
precluding  previous  prerequisite  prep- 
arations; possesses  particular  preroga- 
tives ;  protects  private  property ;  pre- 
vents presumptuous,  pilfering  persons 
practising  promiscuous  proprietorship ; 
pleasantly  perfonning  plain  practical 
penmanship;  perfectly  precludes  pue- 
rile panegyrics,  preferring  proper  public 
patronage." 


"  Universal  Stores." 

Royal  Tyler,  the  famous  New 
Hampshire  wit,  thus  set  off,  in  parody, 
the  advertisements  of  the  "  Universal 
Stores,"  so  common  in  former  times : 

VARIETY    STORE. 

To  the  Literati  : 

Messrs.  COLON  &  SPONDEE, 

wholesale  dealers  in 
Verse,  Prose,  and  Poetry, 

beg  leave  to  inform  the  Public,  and  the  Learned 

in  particular,  that 

— previous  to  the  enBuing 

COMMENCEMEN  T— 

They  propose  to  open  a  fresh  Assortment  of 

LEXICOGRAPHIC,  BCRGURSDICIAN,  AND 

PARNASSIAN 

GOODS, 

suitable  for  the  season, 
At  the  Room  on  the  Plain,  lately  occupied 
by  Mr.  Frederick  Wiser,  Tensor, 
if  it  can  be  procured — 
Where  they  will  expose  to  Sale — 
Salutatory  and  Valedictory  Orations,  Syllo- 
gistic and  Forensic  Disputations  and  Dia- 
logues among  the  living  and  the  dead — 
Theses  and  Masters,  Questions,  Latin,  Greek, 


836 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Hebrew,  Syriac,  Arabic,  and  the  ancient 
Coptic,  neatly  modified  into  Dialogues,  Ora- 
tions, etc.,  on  the  shortest  notice — with  Dis- 
sertations on  the  Targum  and  Talmud,  and 
Collations  after  the  manner  of  Kennicott — 
Hebrew  roots  and  other  Simples — Dead  Lan- 
guages for  living  Drones — Oriental  Lan- 
guages with  or  without  points,  prefixes,  or 
suflBxes — Attic,  Doric,  Ionic,  and  ^oUc  Dia- 
lects, with  the  Wabash,  Onondaga,  and  Mo- 
hawk Gutturals — Synalaephas,  Elisions,  and 
Ellipses  of  the  newest  cut — v^s  added  and 
dovetailed  to  their  vowels,  with  a  small  as- 
sortment of  the  genuine  Peloponnesian  Na- 
sal Twangs — Classic  Compliments  adapted  to 
all  dignities,  with  superlatives  in  o,  and  ge- 
runds in  di,  gratis — Monologues,  Dialogues, 
Trialogues,  Tetralogues,  and  so  on,  from  one 
to  twenty  logues. 

Anagrams,  Acrostics,  Anacreontics,  Chro- 
nograms, Epigrams,  Hudibrastics,  and  Pane- 
gyrics, Rebuses,  Charades,  Puns,  and  Co- 
nundrums, by  the  gross  or  single  dozen. 
Sonnets,  Elegies,  Epithalamiums ;  Bucolics, 
Gearics,  Pastorals ;  Epic  Poems,  Dedica- 
tions, and  Adulatory  Prefaces,  in  verse  and 
prose. 

Ether,  Mist,  Sleet,  Rain,  Snow,  Lightning, 
and  Thunder,  prepared  and  personified  after 
the  manner  of  Delia  Crusca,  with  a  quantity 
of  Brown  Horror,  Blue  Fear,  and  Child-Be- 
getting Love,  from  the  same  Manufactory ; 
with  a  pleasing  variety  of  high-Colored  Com- 
pound epithets,  well  assorted — Farragoes, 
and  other  Brunonian  Opiates — Anti-Insti- 
tutes, or  the  new  and  concise  patent  mode 
of  applying /oriy  letters  to  the  spelling  of  a 
monosyllable — Love  Letters  by  the  Ream — 
Summary  Arguments,  both  Merry  and  Seri- 
ous— Sermons,  moral,  occasional,  or  polemi- 
cal— Sermons  for  Texts,  and  Texts  for  Ser- 
mons— Old  Orations  scoured,  Forensics  fur- 
bished. Blunt  Epigrams  newly  pointed,  and 
cold  Conferences  hashed;  with  Extempora- 
neous Prayers,  corrected  and  amended — Al- 
literations artfully  allied — and  Periods  pol- 
ished to  perfection. 

Airs,  Canons,  Catches,  and  Cantatas — 
Fugues,  Overtures,  and  Symphonies,  for  any 
number  of  instruments — Serenades  for  Noc- 
turnal Lovers — with  Rose  Trees  full  blown, 
and  Black  jokes  of  all  colors — Amens  and 
Hallelujahs,  trilled,  quavered,  and  slurred — 
with   Couplets,  Syncopations,    Minim    and 


Crotchet  Rests,  for  female  voices — and  Solosj 
with  the  three  parts,  for  hand  organs. 

Classic  College  Bows,  clear  starched,  lately 
imported  from  Cambridge,  and  now  used  by 
all  the  topping  scientific  connoisseurs  in  hair 
and  wigs,  in  this  country. 

Adventures,  Paragraphs,  Letters  from  Cor- 
respondents, Country  Seats  for  Rural  Mem- 
bers of  Congress,  provided  by  Editors  of 
Newspapers — with  Accidental  Deaths,  Bat- 
tles, Bloody  Murders,  Premature  News,  Tem- 
pests, Thunder  and  Lightning,  and  Hail- 
stones, of  all  dimensions,  adapted  to  the 
Season. 

Circles  squared,  and  Mathematical  Points 
divided  into  quarters,  and  half  shares ;  and 
jointed  Assymptotes  which  will  meet  at  any 
given  distance. 

Syllogisms  in  Bocardo,  and  Baralipton; 
Serious  Caution  against  Drunkenness,  etc., 
and  other  coarse  Wrapping  Paper,  gratis,  to 
those  who  buy  the  smallest  article. 


On  hand,  a  few  Tierces  of  Attic 
Salt — also,  Cash,  and  the  highest  price, 
given  for  Raw  Wit,  for  the  use  of  the 
Manufactory,  or  taken  in  exchange  for  the 
above  Articles. 


Buying  a  Claim. 

Fbom  the  oil  diggings  a  correspon- 
dent of  Harper's  "  Drawer  "  writes,  un- 
der date  of  Oleana :  The  world  is  full  of 
good  things.  You  also  are  in  a  simi- 
lar state  of  repletion,  and  yet  the  half 
is  not  told.  There  are  many  things 
yet  unknown,  and,  let  us  hope,  many 
more  yet  to  happen.  We  live  in  the 
midst  of  a  good  thing — oil ;  good  for 
everything  under  the  sun  but  to  smell ; 
it  is  not  good  for  that.  Three  friends 
were  discussing  "  the  subject  "  (oil, 

of  course).    Says  A :  "  Old  BiUy  G 

has  bought  a  good  claim."  "What 
does  he  give?"  says  B.  "One  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  a  quarter  of  the  oil 
for  a  quarter  of  the  claim,"  replied  A. 
"  Then,"  says  C,  "  as  a  matter  of  course, 
had  he  bought  the  whole  claim  he 
would  have  had  to  pay  four  thousand 
dollars  and  all  the  oiV  This  is  an 
opinion  as  is  an  opinion. 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


337 


Very  Baoy. 

Previous  to  the  destruction  of  the 
National  Theatre  in  Boston,  one  of  the 
stores  in  the  basement  was  occupied  by 
one  Patrick  L  Grace.  A  wag  meeting 
a  friend  in  the  street,  and  knowing  his 
penchant  for  rare  and  exciting  sights, 
inquired  if  he  had  seen  the  pig  race  ?  " 

"  Pig  race  ! "  repeated  Dupee,  "  no ; 
I  never  heard  of  one  before.  Where  is 
it  ? " 

"Down  to  the  National  Theatre; 
you  had  better  go  down;  it's  worth 
seeing,"  was  the  answer. 

Dupee,  who  had  been  "  spoiling  "  for 
something  new  in  the  way  of  amuse- 
ments, started  for  the  National  at  once, 
but  of  course  found  the  doors  closed, 
and  no  signs  of  any  race  around  there, 
except  the  human  race.  Feeling  that 
he  was  the  victim  of  a  "  sell,"  he  turned 
dryly  away,  when  his  eye  caught  Mr. 
Grace's  sign.  The  stupid  painter  had 
omitted  to  insert  any  punctuation,  and 
it  read  thus  :  PIGRA.CE. 

"  Very  good,"  remarked  Dupee ; 
"that  does  look  like  a  pig  race,  sure 
enough ! "  and  off  he  hurried,  to  find 
a  victim  in  his  turn. 


Ctettingr  rid  of  Ms  Neighbor's 
Customers. 

In  the  pleasant  city  of  Canton,  Mis- 
sissippi, lives  a  worthy  landlord  by  the 
name  of  Colonel  Pierce.  Next  door  to 
the  Pierce  House  was  a  gunsmith's 
shop,  kept  by  Bob  Leonard,  whose 
chief  failing  was  the  love  of  fish,  squir- 
rels, etc.  When  Bob  wanted  a  day  in 
the  woods  he  had  no  scruples  about 
closing  up  his  establishment.  Of 
course  Bob's  customers  would  be  more 
numerous  on  the  days  the  shop  was 
closed.  Now  no  place  was  so  handy 
as  Colonel  Pierce's  for  the  disappoint- 
ed to  inquire,  "  Do  you  know  where 
Bob  Leonard  is  ? "  The  Colonel,  getting 
heartily  tired  of  the  annoyance,  be- 
thought him  of  a  plan  for  ridding  him- 
32 


self  of  the  trouble  of  answering.  He 
had  a  sign  painted,  and  hung  up  in  the 
most  conspicuous  part  of  the  oflBce, 
with  this  inscription  :  "  I  want  it  dis- 
tinctly understood  that  I  don't  know 
where  Bob  Leonard  is." 


Broadway  Sigms. 

Not  long  since  there  could  be  seen  a 
very  singular  and  purely  accidental  col- 
lection of  occupations  in  one  building 
on  Broadway — the  signs  across  the  front 
standing  out  like  some  great  Ogre's 
eyes,  nose,  and  mouth,  ready  to  gobble 
a  person  up.  The  first  floor,  occupied 
by  the  "  Broadway  Bestaurant^^''  where 
you  could  be  taken  in,  fed,  and  pre- 
pared; the  second  floor,  occupied  by 
the  "  Office  of  the  West  Point  Foundry,''' 
where  you  could  be  killed  by  the  latest 
inventions ;  the  third  floor  occupied  by 
the  "  Office  of  G-reenwood  Cemetery^'' 
where  you  could  be  buried  in  the  most 
approved  style.  Feed,  Mil,  and  lyury, 
all  in  one  building. 


Pat's  Definition  of  Railroad  "  Stock." 

Pat  Donahue  was  a  "  broth  of  a 
boy,"  right  from  the  "  Gem  of  the 
Say,"  and  he  had  a  small  contract  on 
the  Conway  Railroad,  New  Hampshire, 
in  the  year  of  grace  1855,  in  which  he 
agreed  to  take  his  pay  part  in  cash, 
part  in  bonds,  and  part  in  stock.  The 
stock  of  this  road,  be  it  remembered — 
like  many  others — was  not  worth  a 
"  Continental,"  and  has  always  kept 
up  its  value  with  remarkable  uniformi- 
ty. In  due  time  Pat,  having  com- 
pleted his  job,  presented  himself  at  the 
treasurer's  office  for  settlement.  The 
money,  the  bonds,  and  the  certificate 
of  stock  were  soon  in  his  possession. 

"  And  what  is  this  now  ? "  said  Pat, 
flourishing  his  certificate  of  stock,  bear- 
ing the  "  broad  seal "  of  the  corpora- 
tion. 

"  That  is  your  stock,  sir,"  blandly  re- 
plied the  treasurer. 


838 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


"And  is  this  what  I'm  to  git  for 
me  labor?  "Wasn't  me  contract  for 
sthock  ? " 

"  Why,  certainly ;  that  is  your  stock. 
What  did  you  expect  ? " 

"  What  did  I  expect  I "  said  Pat,  ex- 
citedly ;  "  what  did  I  expect !  Why 
pigs,  and  shape,  and  horses,  shure  1 " 


Silk-Dyer's  Poetical  Signo. 

PooK  Goldsmith's  familiar  and  touch- 
ing lines : 

"  When  lovely  woman  stoops  to  folly," 
fare  sadly  in  the  hands  of  a  silk-dyer, 
who  puts  on  his  sign  and  circular  this 
wicked  parody : 

"  When  lovely  woman  tilts  her  saucer, 

And  finds  too  late  that  tea  will  stain — 
Whatever  made  a  woman  crosser — 
What  art  can  wash  all  white  again  ? 

"  The  only  art  the  stain  to  cover, 
To  hide  the  spot  from  every  eye, 
And  wear  an  unsoiled  dress  above  her. 
Of  proper  color,  is  to  dye  I " 


Full-size  Headings  to  Advertise- 
ments. 

As  the  editor  of  "  old  Kjnick." 
vouches  for  the  strict  ter-ruth  of  the 
following  little  legend^  it  may  be  safely 
assumed  to  be  strictly  ter-rue,  especially 
in  view  of  the  extrinsic  probability 
which  is  so  obvious  in  the  narration  : 

A  few  years  since,  the  writer  of  the 
following  sketch  was  one  of  the  editors 
and  proprietors  of  a  daily  and  weekly 
newspaper,  published  in  one  of  the 
large  towns  of  Western  New  York. 
Among  the  numerous  patrons  of  the 
paper  was  a  man  whom  I  shall  describe 
as  Levi  Lapp,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and 
a  very  clever  man  in  his  way,  but  as  the 
sequel  shows,  entirely  unacquainted 
with  the  art  which  claims  as  its  shining 
lights  the  names  of  Quttemberg  and 
Faust. 

Having  considerable  Yankee  adapt- 
•ednesa  to  one  thing  or  the  other,  in  the 


useful  as  well  as  ornamental  line,  Mr. 
Lapp  had  recently  purchased  the  right 
to  manufacture  a  patent  pump,  which 
he  was  very  desirous  of  introducing  to 
the  public,  through  the  columns  of  our 
paper.  In  other  words,  he  wanted  to 
advertise  it,  and  in  the  course  of  con- 
versation about  the  price  and  other  de- 
tails, mentioned  to  me  that  he  would 
like  a  cut  of  his  new  pump  inserted  as 
a  heading  to  the  advertisement.  I  re- 
plied, "  Very  well,"  and  immediately 
asked,  "  Have  you  the  cut  here  ? "  He 
replied,  "  No,  but  I  have  got  one  at  my 
house,  and  will  fetch  it  in." 

In  a  day  or  two  Mr.  Lapp  came  into 
the  oflBce  with  a  hand-bill,  which  he 
unfolded,  and  which  contained  a  fac 
simile  of  the  pump  he  was  manufac- 
turing. 

He  said  to  me :  "  Now  you  can  get 
in  my  cut,  and  do  so  at  once,  for  I  wish 
to  see  it  in  print  in  your  paper." 

"  Where  is  your  cut  ? "  I  asked. 

"  On  the  bill,"  he  replied,  with  all 
the  seriousness  of  a  post  captain. 

I  then  told  him  that  it  would  require 
a  block  of  wood  cut  by  an  engraver  in 
the  shape  and  likeness  of  the  pump ; 
that  this  was  called  a  cut  or  engraving, 
and  that  it  would  have  to  be  used  in 
the  press,  in  connection  with  the  types, 
to  make  up  such  an  advertisement  as 
he  desired.  I  further  told  him  who 
could  do  the  job,  and  the  probable 
expense — some  fifteen  or  twenty  dol- 
lars. 

A  bright  idea  appeared  to  influence 
Mr.  Lapp,  and  he  informed  me  that  he 
thought  he  could  do  the  job  himself, 
and  save  just  so  much  outlay.  I  told 
him  if  he  could  it  would  suit  me 
equally  as  well;  but  I  thought  he 
would  find  it  a  trifle  difficult. 

We  separated,  and  I  saw  no  more 
of  Levi  Lapp  for  several  weeks.  In 
fact,  I  had  forgotten  all  about  the  mat- 
ter. One  morning,  bright  and  early, 
as  I  was  busy  at  the  desk,  in  came  Mr. 
Lapp,  in  a  great  hurry  and  bluster. 
He    quickly    explained   himself,    and 


COMMERCIAL  ART  AND  PHRASEOLOGY. 


339 


said  he  had  his  cut  finished,  and  had 
brought  it  as  a  heading  to  his  adver- 
tisement. 

I  said :  "  Very  well.    Where  is  it  ? " 

He  answered :  "  Down  stairs." 

Without  giving  the  matter  a  mo- 
ment's thought,  I  said  to  him,  "  Bring 
it  up ; "  and  he  instantly  left  the  room 
for  that  purpose. 

His  back  was  hardly  turned,  how- 
ever, before  the  thought  struck  me  that 
he  had  rather  a  huge  engraving  for  a 
paper  of  limited  size  like  ours.  And 
calling  to  the  foreman  to  see  if  I  was 
not  correct  in  my  opinion,  I  turned 
again  to  the  desk. 

The  foreman  was  back  in  an  instant, 
and  I  was  soon  aware  that  Levi  Lapp's 
bright  idea  had  grown  into  giant  pro- 
portions, and  that  the  engraving  or  cut 
he  had  brought  for  our  press  was  no 
less  than  a  veritable  wood  pump  of  full 
size,  even  to  the  pump  log,  chain,  cranh 
and  water  spout. 

Lapp  was  proceeding  to  bring  his 
"  extended  cut "  into  our  establishment, 
but  at  that  very  moment  was  deterred 
from  executing  his  plan  by  the  shouts 
and  laughter  of  the  entire  printing  office 
force,  including  the  devil  himself,  who 
stood  at  the  windows  making  merry  at 
his  expense. 

The  true  condition  of  affairs  slowly 
dawned  upon  Mr,  Lapp's  vision ;  and 
when  informed  that  he  had  made  a 
much  larger  "  cut "  than  the  present 
condition  of  the  art  preservative  would 
justify,  he  hurriedly  replaced  his  "  en- 
graving" on  the  wagon  that  brought 
it  to  our  door  and  drove  oflF,  evidently 
making  a  greater  "  impression  "  in  this 
way  than  the  pump  could,  by  any  pos- 
sibility, have  made  in  our  limited  es- 
tablishment. 


Brush's  Celebrated  Figmre-Heads. 

Edwabd  CuTBtTBH  was  considered 
the  best  carver  of  his  day.  Among  his 
apprentices,  at  the  close  of  the  last 
century,  was  William  Rush,  of  Phila- 
delphia. When  Rush  first  saw,  on  a 
foreign  vessel,  a  walking  figure — most 
unusual,  in  that  day — he  instantly 
conceived  the  design  of  more  tasteful 
and  graceful  figures  than  had  been  be- 
fore executed.  He  at  once  surpassed 
his  master;  and  having  thus  opened 
his  mind  to  the  contemplation  and 
study  of  such  attitudes  and  figures  as 
he  saw  in  nature,  he  was  very  soon 
enabled  to  surpass  all  his  former  per- 
formances. Then  his  figures  began  to 
excite  admiration  in  foreign  ports.  The 
figure  of  the  "  Indian  Trader  "  to  the 
ship  "  William  Penn  "  (the  Trader  was 
dressed  in  Indian  habiliments),  excited 
great  admiration  in  London.  The  car- 
vers there  would  come  in  boats  and 
station  themselves  near  the  ship,  so  as 
to  sketch  designs  from  it.  They  even 
came  to  take  casts  of  plaster-of-Paris 
from  the  head.  This  was  directly  after 
the  Revolution,  when  she  was  com- 
manded by  Captain  Josiah.  When  he 
carved  a  river  god  as  the  figure  for  the 
ship  "  Ganges,"  the  Hindoos  came  oflF 
in  numerous  boats  to  pay  their  admira- 
tion, and  perhaps  reverence,  to  the  va- 
rious emblems  in  the  trail  of  the  image. 
On  one  occasion,  the  house  of  Nicklin 
&  Griffiths  actually  had  orders  from 
England  to  Rush  (fifty  years  and  more 
ago),  to  carve  two  figures  for  two  ships 
building  there.  One  was  a  female  per- 
sonation of  Cormnerce.  The  duties 
charged  in  that  instance  amounted  to 
more  than  the  first  cost  of  the  images 
themselves. 


PART  SEVENTH. 


Anecdotes  and  Things  Memora.ble  coNCEBNiNa 
Business  Transit  and  Communication 


PAET  seye:nth. 

Anecdotes  and  Things  Memorable  concerniiig  Business  Transit  and 

Oomnmnication. 

SHIPPING,    STEAMBOATS,    RAILWAYS,     EXPRESSES,    TELEGRAPHS,    COACHES,    OMNIBUSES,    ETC.,— 
THEIR   OWNERS,    OFFICERS,    PATRONS,   AND   ATTACHES. 


— —  The  heaven-conducted  prow 
Of  navigation  bold,  that  fearless  braves 
The  burning  line,  or  dares  the  wintry  pole. — Thomson. 

Soon  shall  thy  power,  unconqnered  Steam  I  afar 
Drag  the  swift  barge  and  drive  the  rapid  car. 

Darwin  (more  than  fUndy  y tars  agoy, 

Now  there  is  nothing  gives  a  man  such  spirits 
As  going  at  full  speed.— Don  Juan. 

No  longer  gee-up  and  gee-ho. 
But  flz— fiz-z  I  off  we  go  1— Anon. 


Forchase  of  Jacob  Barker's  Ship  "  Uni- 
ted States"  by  the  £mperor  Nicholas. 

At  one  period  of  his  business  career, 
Jacob  Barker  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  Russian  trade,  and  gave  the 
name  of  "  Russia  "  to  the  last  ship  he  had 
built.  Among  the  vessels  employed 
by  Mr.  Barker  in  his  Russian  business, 
■was  a  very  fine  New- York  built  ship, 
named  the  "  United  States." 

This  ship  was  lying  at  anchor  at 
Cronstadt,  in  1829,  when  the  young 
emperor,  Nicholas,  passing  by  in  his 
barge,  on  his  way  to  the  inspection  of 
his  fleet,  being  attracted  by  her  fine 
appearance,  the  boatswain's  whistle  was 
sounded,  and  the  men  peaked  their 
oars,  while  the  emperor  took  a  full 
view  of  the  vessel ;  it  again  sounded, 
the  boat  went  round  the  ship,  and  then 
landed;  the  captain  was  invited  on 
shore,  when  the  emperor  inquired  of 
him  if  his  ship  was  for  sale — and  if  so, 
what  was  the  price.  The  reply  was, 
"  She  was  for  sale  until  yesterday,  when 


a  charter  was  obtained,  to  take  a  car- 
go of  copper,  (fee,  to  Bordeaux — price, 
$50,000  ;  she  cannot  now  be  sold  with- 
out the  consent  of  the  charterers."  The 
emperor  responded :  "  I  will  send  down 
commissioners  to  inspect  the  vessel; 
if  they  report  favorably,  I  will  obtain 
the  consent  of  the  charterers,  and  give 
you  the  required  $50,000  for  the  ship." 
On  the  czar's  return  to  the  city,  he 
directed  his  minister  of  marine  to  con- 
fer with  the  charterers ;  he  did  so,  and 
stipulated  to  pay  a  specified  amount  for 
their  annulling  the  charter,  provided 
she,  on  inspection,  should  prove  satis- 
factory— allowing  three  days  for  the 
examination.  She  proved  satisfactory. 
But  the  minister  of  marine  omitting  to 
give  the  notice  within  the  three  days, 
the  cargo  was  sent  down,  and  the  ship 
commenced  loading.  The  emperor 
passed  again  the  next  day,  and  per- 
ceived her  to  be  a  foot  and  a  half 
deeper  in  the  water  than  when  he 
resolved  to  make  the  purchase.    He 


344 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


returned  immediately  to  the  city,  and 
sent  for  the  minister  of  marine,  from 
whom  he  obtained  an  explanation.  In 
place  of  directing  him  to  disregard  the 
delay  in  giving  the  answer,  as  a  frivo- 
lous objection,  he  directed  him  to  in- 
form the  captain  that  he  might  proceed 
to  Bordeaux  with  his  cargo ;  and  as  it 
would  be  too  late  to  return  that  season 
to  Russia,  he  might  go  to  the  United 
States  and  procure  another  cargo,  come 
back  with  it  to  Europe,  and  then  return 
to  St.  Petersburg,  when  he,  the  emper- 
or, would  take  the  ship  at  the  same 
price.  She  did  return,  was  received, 
and  promptly  paid  for,  the  royal  pur- 
chaser personally  superintending  the 
consummation  of  his  bargain. 

Such  high-minded  conduct,  such 
business-like  attention  to  mercantile 
usage,  on  the  part  of  a  crowned  head, 
is  seldom  met  with,  though  in  this  in- 
stance quite  consistent  with  the  auto- 
crat's well-known  respect  for  American 
merchants. 


"Consideringr"  a  Ship  Builder. 

John  Mokqan  was  a  merchant  and 
ship  owner,  formerly  residing  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  made  a  contract  with  a 
builder  to  build  him  a  vessel.  When 
the  vessel  was  partly  finished,  and  he 
had  received  payment  for  all  he  had 
done,  he  went  to  Mr.  M.,  and  told  him 
that  he  had  ascertained  that  he  could 
not  build  the  vessel  for  the  price  agreed, 
as  he  should  lose  all  he  was  worth,  and 
perhaps  more,  and  had  therefore  con- 
cluded he  must  abandon  the  job  where 
it  was,  and  let  him  get  some  one  else 
to  finish  it.  This  was  a  poser  to  Mor- 
gan, who,  after  thinking  of  it  for  a 
few  moments,  said  to  him, "  Well,  well, 
you  go  on  with  it,  and  when  we  settle, 
ril  consider  you;" — which,  to  the 
builder,  was  satisfactory.  He  there- 
fore went  on  until  the  job  was  finished, 
Morgan  advancing  money  from  time  to 
time.  When  they  came  to  settle,  Mor- 
gan drew  his  check  for  the  balance  due 


according  to  contract.  The  builder 
stood  and  hesitated  for  a  whUe,  and 
then  said,  "  You  know,  Mr.  Morgan, 
you  said  that  if  I  would  go  on  with 
the  job,  you  would — consider  me." 
"  Well,  well,"  gruffly  replied  the  old 
man,  "  I  Tmte  considered  yer,  and  con- 
sidered yer  a  great  fool  for  doin^  on't  so 

cheap." 

< 

Imaginative  lExpressmen— an 
Artificial  Corpse. 

It  is  quite  usual,  now-a-days,  to  send 
corpses  by  express.  But  the  business 
is  very  unpopular  with  expressmen, 
especially  if  the  body  has  far  to 
travel. 

One  morning,  a  messenger,  having 
among  his  freight,  in  the  express  com- 
pany's car,  one  of  those  ominously 
oblong  boxes,  declared  confidentially 
to  the  conductor  of  the  train,  that  the 
body  inside  "  must  be  very  far  gone  in- 
deed— the  smell  of  it  fairly  upset  him." 
In  vain  he  tried  to  forget  it,  or  salubri- 
fy  the  odor  by  smoking  a  magnificent 
cigar.  The  smell  became  more  ofien- 
sive  to  him  every  minute  during  the 
long  night  that  he  was  whizzing  away 
with  it  over  the  rail  track ;  and  before 
the  train  arrived  in  New  York,  it  af- 
fected him  so  much  that  he  could  not 
stay  in  the  car. 

When  the  drivers,  with  the  wagons 
of  the  New  York  office,  went  to  the  de- 
pot for  the  express  freight,  the  illness 
of  the  imfortunate  messenger  was  ob- 
vious, and  in  answer  to  inquiries,  he 
explained  the  cause.  All  eyes  at  once 
fell  on  the  oblong  box,  and  every  man 
held  his  nose.  It  was  decided  vmani- 
mously  that  it  was  too  far  gone  to  be 
taken  to  the  office,  and  as  the  railroad 
men  swore  (through  their  suppressed 
olfactories)  that  they  would  not  suffer 
it  to  remain  in  the  depot,  the  strongest- 
nerved  and  most  accommodating  driver 
present  took  it  to  the  "  dead  house," 
up  town. 

No  one  knew  where  the  obnoxious 
box  came  from.    It  was  usual  to  make 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


345 


a  special  bargain  in  such  cases,  but  no 
allusion  was  made  to  it  on  the  way 
bill.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  how- 
ever, the  mystery  was  solved.  A  gen- 
tleman came  into  the  express  office  in 
Broadway,  and  called  for  the  box. 

"It  has  been  taken  to  the  dead 
house,"  was  the  reply  of  the  clerk. 

"  The  dead  house  1 "  exclaimed  the 
applicant. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  rejoined  the  clerk,  jfinnly ; 
"  we  couldn't  stand  it,  sir.  Too  far 
gone,  sir." 

"  Too  far  gone  I  "  was  the  quick  re- 
tort ;  "  I  should  think  so,  if  you  have 
sent  it  way  up  to  — th  street.  Explain 
yourself !    What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  the  body  smelt  too  tad, 
sir  I  "  responded  the  clerk. 

"  Smelt  bad !  "  cried  the  visitor ;  "  I 
have  handled  it  for  ten  years  past,  and 
I  never  yet  smelt  anything  but  the  var- 
nish, and  that  not  at  all  unpleasantly. 
Hang  it,  sir,  that  box  contains  my  man- 
nikin,  an  artificial  anatomy  or  model 

of  the  human  body.    I  am  Dr.  W , 

the  lecturer  on  physiology." 


Sisks  and  Accidents  Insured  Agrainst. 

It  would  appear  that  the  notion, 
broached  so  long  ago,  of  a  railway  in- 
surance office,  has  been  carried  into  ex- 
ecution. A  company  has  been  actu- 
ally started  at  Paris,  to  insure  persons 
against  railway  risks  and  accidents. 
The  directors  promise  to  give  so  much 
for  the  loss  of  an  arm,  a  leg — and  even 
the  value  of  a  bum  is  calculated  to  a 
nicety.  They  offer  annuities,  also,  to 
surviving  relations,  and  imdertake,  free 
of  expense,  to  bury  any  one  who  has 
been  killed.  Similar  companies,  it  is 
thought,  would  be  desirable  in  other 
parts — say  in  our  own  Western  States. 
The  only  apprehension  is,  that  so  many 
railways  in  that  section  would  have  to  be 
rated  "  Doubly  Hazardous ; "  and  that 
a  person  travelling  by  them,  would  be 
charged  at  the  same  rate  as  a  medical 
insurance  office  would  charge  a  person 


who  is  on  the  point  of  sailing  for  Sierra 
Leone. 


Floating:  Bailways. 

Some  ingenious  gentleman  of  a  prac- 
tical turn  of  mind,  who  seems  to  think 
that  capital  does  not  get  sunk  rapidly 
enough  in  railways  of  the  usual  con- 
struction, has,  as  the  result  of  much 
speculation,  proposed  a  floating  line, 
which  will,  of  course,  if  carried  out,  be 
exposed  to  more  than  the  ordinary  fluc- 
tuations to  which  those  things  are  lia- 
ble. The  scheme  may  work  well 
enough  when  matters  go  on  smoothly, 
but  when  Neptune  has  a  bill — or  a  bil- 
low— to  take  up,  and  Boreas  may  be 
raising  the  wind  to  help  him  out,  it  is 
to  be  feared  the  traffic  on  the  floating 
line  would  be  entirely  swamped,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  difficulty  the  engineers 
might  experience  in  taking  their  loads. 
However,  the  committee  who  have  the 
subject  under  consideration,  may  be 
able  to  show  that  it  will  be  practicable 
to  outride  these  difficulties — which 
merely  suggest  themselves  at  first 
thoufcht. 


Superseding:  Steam. 

A  LETTEB  in  Galignani's  Messenger 
having  fully  proved  the  facility  with 
which  tables  can  be  moved  by  means 
of  a  "  company  "  through  mere  volition, 
after  the  hands  of  the  company  have 
been  placed  for  a  short  time  on  the  ta- 
ble, it  is  proposed  that  a  company  shall 
be  formed  for  the  application  of  tabu- 
lar locomotion  to  practical  purposes — 
transportation  of  merchandise  and  the 
conveyance  of  passengers ;  to  be  called 
the  Locomotive  Table  Company.  The 
principal  object  of  the  association  will 
be  to  supersede  steam  engines  on  rail- 
ways ;  an  improvement  in  travelling  by 
which  it  is  hoped  many  serious  acci- 
dents will  be  prevented  which  would 
otherwise  have  occurred.  The  table 
will  be  placed  where  the  engine  is  at 


346 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


present,  in  front  of  the  train.  It  will 
go  on  grooved  castors,  and  a  certain 
number  of  the  directors  of  the  company 
will  be  seated  at  a  board  in  connection 
with  it,  which  will  insxire  that  addi- 
tional guarantee  of  safety  so  much 
wanted  on  railroads.  The  expenses  in- 
volved in  carrying  out  the  company's 
object  will  not,  it  is  expected,  be  very 
considerable ;  but  shareholders  will  be 
required  to  pay  down  the  whole  of 
their  subscriptions,  as  the  projectors 
anticipate  some  little  diflELculty  in  ob- 
taining credit, 

> 

Universal  Salvagre  Company. 

Among  the  various  enterprises  to 
which  the  ingenuity  of  the  day  has 
turned  itself,  is  that  of  a  company 
which  advertises  to  raise  sunken  or 
wrecked  vessels,  all  over  the  world, 
and  divide  the  profits.  It  is  not  impos- 
sible that  this  very  promising  associa- 
tion may  in  time  be  followed  by  the  In- 
corporated Mudlarks,  or  Joint-Stock 
Dredging  Company — ^which,  indeed, 
the  first-named  concern  seems  in  fact 
to  be,  only  on  a  somewhat  extended 
principle.  Directors  are  already  ap- 
pointed, and  "  a  manager  afloat "  is  ad- 
vertised. It  is  to  be  hoped  that "  share- 
holders aground  "  will  not  be  the  end 
of  this  very  useful  nautical  enterprise. 


Dismissing:  a  SMpmaster. 

One  of  the  most  faithful  shipmasters 
in  the  employ  of  Stephen  Girard  was 
Captain  Guligar,  He  had  been  seventeen 
years  in  his  service,  from  an  apprentice 
until  he  rose  to  the  command  of  one  of 
his  favorite  and  finest  ships.  Having 
thus  by  diligence  and  industry  been 
promoted  to  the  berth  of  first  officer, 
he  sailed  in  that  capacity  to  Batavia, 
in  the  Voltaire  or  Rousseau.  At  Bata- 
via the  captain  died ;  and  Guligar,  as 
first  officer,  took  the  command  of  the 
ship,  sailing  for  Holland  with  a  very 
rich  cargo,  and  arriving  at  an  excellent 


iparket.  From  Holland  he  brought  the 
ship  safe  into  the  port  of  Philadelphia, 
making  altogether  an  immensely  profit- 
able voyage  for  his  owner. 

Girard  having  concluded  to  repeat 
the  voyage  to  Batavia,  Captain  Guligar, 
being  either  averse  to  the  climate,  or 
from  some  other  cause,  observed  to  Mr. 
Girard,  "  that  if  he  had  no  objection, 
he  would  prefer  taking  the  command 
of  such  a  ship,"  naming  her,  which 
Girard  was  then  loading  for  a  port  in 
Europe,  Girard,  without  uttering  a 
syllable  in  reply,  called  to  his  clerk, 
and  directed  him  to  make  out  the  ac- 
counts of  Captain  Guligar  immediately. 
He  discharged  him  on  the  same  day 
from  his  employ,  saying :  "  I  do  not 
make  the  voyage  for  my  captains,  but 
for  myself,"  a  declaration  which  no  one 
acquainted  with  him  could  possibly 
venture  to  dispute. 


Comm.eTcial  Importance  of  the  Cat. 

The  peculiar  relations  which  grimal- 
kin sustains  to  commerce  is  not  gener- 
ally known.  '  It  is  stated  in  a  London 
journal  that  marine  insurance  in  some 
parts  of  Europe  does  not  cover  damage 
done  to  cargo  by  the  depredations  of 
rats ;  but  if  the  owner  of  the  cargo  thus 
damaged  can  prove  that  the  ship  was 
not  furnished  with  a  cat,  he  can  recover 
compensation  from  the  owner  of  the 
ship.  Again,  a  ship  that  is  found 
under  certain  circumstances,  without  a 
living  creature  on  I>oard,  is  considered  a 
derelict,  and,  according  to  certain  con- 
ditions, a  forfeiture  to  the  sovereign, 
lords  of  the  admiralty,  and  other  in- 
terested parties.  And  it  has  not  unfre- 
quently  occurred,  after  all  the  crew 
have  been  lost,  or  the  ship  otherwise 
abandoned,  that  a  live  canary  bird, 
domestic  fowl,  but  most  frequently  a 
cat,  being  found  on  board,  has  saved  • 
the  vessel  from  being  condemned  as  a 
derelict.  Consequently,  the  ship  own- 
ers, considering  the  cat's  proverbial 
tenacity  of  life,  as  well  as  its  presence 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


347 


being  a  bar  to  claims  of  damage  by 
rats,  always  take  care  not  to  send  a 
ship  to  sea  without  having  a  cat  on 
board. 


Beading  the  ATirmal  Beport. 

A  CEBTAiN  little  railway,  the  route 
and  character  of  which  will  presently 
appear,  has  been  following  the  example 
of  larger  companies,  by  holding  a  gen- 
eral meeting,  presenting  a  report,  and 
performing,  on  its  own  snug  little  scale, 
all  the  operations  of  a  line  of  first-rate 
magnitude.  A  few  extracts  from  the 
report,  as  read  to  the  meeting,  are  here 
given  in  advance  of  its  publication : 

"  Tour  Directors  had  hoped  to  render 
this  a  favorite  trunk  line  for  the  con- 
veyance of  baggage  belonging  to  the 
boys  and  girls  going  home  for  the  holi- 
days from  the  various  boarding  schools 
in  the  neighborhood ;  but  as  there  is 
not  as  yet  any  scholastic  establishment 
at  Wormwood  Scrubs,  nor  any  proba- 
bility of  a  large  juvenile  population  in 
the  Canal  Basin,  which  form  the  two 
termini  and  the  only  stations  on  the 
permanent  way,  there  has  been  as  yet 
no  chance  of  pushing  the  resources  of 
the  line  as  a  trunk,  or  even  a  carpet- 
bag line,  into  full  development. 

"  It  is  with  regret  that  your  Directors 
have  to  state  that  the  '  branch '  con- 
cerns, commenced  last  year,  have  not 
yet  borne  any  fruit,  though  the  aspa- 
ragus cuttings  yielded  a  small  revenue 
— applicable  to  the  Holfast  Fund  in- 
tended as  superannuation  money  for  the 
one  fireman — and  some  of  the  cuttings 
remaining  uncut  from  last  year,  have  in 
due  course  run  to  seed,  with  a  view  to 
forming  the  seeds  of  future  prosperity. 

"A  negotiation  was  undertaken  by 
your  Directors  with  the  Great  Western, 
for  the  sale  of  the  whole  of  their  plant 
(fixture  and  tools) ;  but  as  the  most 
valuable  portion  was  a  lot  of  cabbage 
plants,  the  negotiation  fell  to  the 
ground  just  as  the  cabbages  were  shoot- 
ing out  of  it. 


"  The  canal  has  been  looked  at  with 
great  caution  by  your  Directors,  and  they 
have  in  fact  gone  very  deeply  into  it. 
They  have  also,  after  due  deliberation, 
abandoned  that  part  of  the  line  known 
as  the  Shepherd's  Bush  Clothes  Line, 
though  the  laundresses  have  been  hang- 
ing out  for  better  terms;  but  your 
Directors  prefer  the  chance  of  the  dry- 
goods  to  the  prospect  of  having  a  damp 
thrown  on  any  of  their  lines  by  a  class 
of  people  who  refused  to  stir  a  peg — or 
even  a  clothes  peg — to  meet  the  views 
of  the  proprietors. 

"  Your  Directors  are  still  undecided 
what  to  do  with  the  first-class  car  ori- 
giually  built  for  the  passenger  traflSc  on 
this  line,  and  are  now  considering  a 
proposition  from  the  Messrs.  Wee,  the 
great  nurserymen,  who  have  made  an 
oflFer  for  the  car  without  its  wheels, 
with  a  view  to  its  conversion  into  a 
Chinese  summer  house,  or  an  extensive 
melon  frame." 

Every  separate  sentence  of  the 
above  report  was  received  with  shouts 
of  applause ;  and,  after  voting,  by  ac- 
clamation, to  the  chairman  of  the  Board, 
a  teacup  of  peanuts,  to  be  debited  to 
the  company's  treasury  when  the  re- 
ceipts should  warrant  the  expenditure, 
the  meeting  broke  up  with  a  vote  of 
confidence  in  everybody  and  every- 
thing. 

» — 

Ask  any  Cozxunittee  Han. 

Did  you  ever  know  a  railway  from 
a  place  no  one  knows  where,  to  a 
place  no  one  ever  heard  of  before,  with 
branches  everywhere,  of  which  the 
gradients  were  not  easy,  the  cuttings 
few,  the  tunnelling  next  to  nothing, 
and  the  traffic  immense  ? 


Unparalleled  Kailway  Damages. 

The  transaction  of  Lord  Petrie  with 
the  directors  of  the  Eastern  Counties 
Railroad,  England,  stands  unparalleled, 
of  its  class,  in  railway  annals — the  Shy- 


348 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


lock,  perseveringly  exacting  his  full 
bond. 

Previous  to  the  company's  obtaining 
a  bill,  or  charter  it  appears  that  a  se- 
cret engagement  was  entered  into  with 
his  lordship  by  the  provisional  com- 
mittee, who  engaged  to  pay  him  the 
enormous  sum  of  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  nominally  for  the  land  through 
which  the  rail  was  to  pass,  but  really 
for  the  withdrawal  of  an  opposition 
which  might  have  been  disastrous  to 
the  road.  When,  however,  the  bUl  was 
passed,  there  seems  to  have  been  some 
objection  to  fulfilling  the  contract,  on 
the  pretended  ground  of  misrepresenta- 
tion. Nor  did  the  directors  hesitate  to 
assert  that  to  fulfil  it  would  be  a  fraud 
on  the  proprietors,  the  legislature,  and 
the  public. 

But  if  the  company  were  tmwilling 
to  pay  the  money,  his  lordship  was 
equally  unwilling  to  give  it  up.  He 
obtained  an  injunction  against  them ; 
he  opposed  and  prevented  them  from 
passing  through  his  grounds ;  he  har- 
assed and  irritated  them  as  they  had 
irritated  him,  and  with  far  more  effect. 
But  the  stake  was  too  great  to  yield 
quietly.  In  addition  to  the  money  in- 
volved. Lord  P.'s  pride  was  touched 
to  the  quick  by  the  treatment  he  re- 
ceived. 

The  company,  wishing  to  be  safe, 
appointed  seven  eminent  surveyors  to 
report  as  to  the  damage  likely  to  be 
caused  to  his  lordship's  estate ;  copies 
of  their  reports  were  forwarded  to  Lord 
P.,  and  an  offer  was  made  to  use  them 
as  the  basis  of  an  amicable  arrangement. 
His  lordship,  however,  jjositively  and 
squarely  declined  any  change  in  the 
terms  of  the  bond.  Finally,  the  direc- 
tors thought  it  best  to  stay  proceedings, 
and,  seeing  the  hopelessness  of  their 
case,  urged  a  decision  by  arbitration. 
Lord  P.,  however,  flatly  refused  all 
such  interference,  and  the  company  was 
emphatically  grounded ;  the  amended 
biU,  too,  which  they  had  caused  to  be 
brought  in  their  favor  before  the  legis- 


lature, seemed  little  likely  to  result  in 
any  good.  Still,  if  the  bUl  were  aban- 
doned, the  compulsory  power  of  the 
company  by  its  first  act  would  soon 
cease  to  exist ;  and  even  if  they  gained 
a  chancery  suit  and  annulled  the  con- 
tract, their  opponent  might  refuse  to 
sell  his  land  at  all,  and  thus  a  gap  of 
six  unfinished  miles  grace  the  line. 

It  only  remained,  therefore,  for  the 
company  to  pay  the  money.  Thus  his 
lordship  beat  the  board,  and  exacted 
the  full  amount  of  his  bond — the  pro- 
digious sum  of  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  with  interest,  being  paid  for 
land  said  by  appraisers  to  be  possibly 
worth  twenty-five  thousand.  This  is 
believed  to  be  a  case  which  stands 
alone  by  itself,  in  respect  to  the  immense 
amount  involved  and  the  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances investing  the  whole  affair. 


Bather  Ominous. 

The  directors  of  a  railway  company, 
it  is  annoimced,  made  a  few  days  since 
a  preliminary  "  trip  "  upon  the  newly 
completed  line.  There  have  been  so 
many  trips  and  slips  on  the  various  rail- 
ways, that  a  little  preliminary  practice 
of  that  work  might  prove  beneficial  to 
persons  who  prefer  making  a  rapid 
transit  by  steam  to  another  world,  to 
the  old-fashioned  and  tedious  mode  of 
travelling  by  post. 


Up  Trains  and  Down  Trains. 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  an  '  Up 
Train '  ?  "  inquired  a  rural  passenger. 

"  A  train  whose  engine  explodes  and 
blows  up  the  whole  concern,  of  course," 
replied  the  conductor. 

"Then,  what  do  you  mean  by  a 
'  Down  Train '  ?  "  asked  verdant. 

"  What  else  could  it  be  but  a  train 
whose  engine  gets  off  the  track  and 
plunges  down  the  bank  or  into  the 
river,  with  the  cars  after  it  ? " 

"  To  which  of  the  two  does  this  'ere 
belong— eh  ? " 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


349 


"  We  can  answer  no  such,  question  in 
advance ! " 


The  Ladder  of  Gold. 

In  1845,  when  the  new  raikoad  ma- 
nia had  so  frantically  seized  upon  the 
English  populace,  the  iron  ti^ack  was 
familiarly,  and  yet  seriously,  termed 
the  ladder  of  gold,  and  all  classes  strug- 
gled for  a  foothold  that  should  enable 
them  to  ascend  its  beckoning  heights 
of  speedy  affluence.  The  facts  almost 
exceed  belief.  A  colony  of  solicitors, 
engineers,  and  seedy  accountants  set- 
tled in  the  purlieus  of  Threadneedle 
street.  Every  town  and  parish  in  the 
kingdom  blazed  out  in  zinc  plates  over 
the  doorways.  From  the  cellar  to  the 
roof,  every  fragment  of  a  room  held  its 
committee.  The  darkest  cupboard  on 
the  stairs  contained  a  secretary  or  a 
clerk.  Men  who  were  never  east  of 
Temple  Bar,  before  or  since,  were  now 
as  familiar  to  the  pavement  of  Moor- 
gate  street — ^the  great  rendezvous  of 
the  railway  craft — as  the  stock  brokers. 
Ladies  of  title,  lords,  members  of 
Parliament,  and  fashionable  loungers 
thronged  the  noisy  passages,  and  were 
jostled  by  adventurers,  by  gamblers, 
rogues,  and  impostors.  The  choicest 
phraseology  was  employed  in  picturing 
the  advantages  and  profits  of  the  differ- 
ent roads.  Everything  was  to  pay  a 
large  dividend ;  everything  was  to 
3rield  a  large  profit.  The  shares  of  one 
company  rose  2,400  per  cent.  From 
his  garret  in  some  nameless  suburb  the 
outcast  scamp  ;  from  his  West-end  ho- 
tel, the  spendthrift  fop ;  from  his  dim 
studio,  the  poor  artist ;  from  his  starved 
lodging,  the  broken-down  gentleman; 
from  his  flying  address,  the  professional 
swindler;  from  his  fine  mansion,  the 
man  of  notoriety,  whose  life  was  a  daily 
fight  to  keep  up  appearances — all  these 
poured  into  Moorgate  street,  side  by 
side,  and  with  kindred  purposes,  every 
day.  Fraud,  fiction,  and  fun  made  up 
the  staple  of  these  flash  projects.    On 


one  of  the  contracts  the  name  of  a  half- 
pay  pensioner  for  £54  a  year  was  down 
for  £41,500 ;  a  curate,  known  to  be 
poor,  was  down  for  £35,000 ;  a  clerk, 
for  £50,000 ;  and  two  brothers,  sons  of 
a  charwoman  living  in  a  garret,  were 
down  for  £12,000  and  £25,000  respec- 
tively. Duchesses'  delicate  fingers  han- 
dled scrip ;  old  maids  inquired  with 
trembling  eagerness  the  price  of  stocks ; 
young  ladies'  eyes  ceased  to  scan  the 
marriage  list — deserting  this  for  the  ta- 
ble of  shares,  and  startling  their  lovers 
with  questions  respecting  the  opera- 
tions of  bulls  and  bears.  One  person 
was  a  director  in  twenty-three  compa- 
nies, a  second  in  twenty-two,  a  third  in 
twenty-one,  and  a  fourth  in  twenty. 
Thus  "madness  ruled  the  hour."  On 
Thursday,  October  16,  1845,  the  Bank 
of  England  raised  the  rate  of  interest ; 
the  effect  was  immediate.  Men  looked 
doubtfully  and  darkly  at  each  other. 
The  panic  came,  and  the  crash  that  fol- 
lowed brought  a  haggard  shadow  upon 
the  path  of  peer  and  peasant,  and  a 
frightful  page  to  almost  every  family 
history. 

♦ 

Oldest  Vessel  in  America. 

It  is  believed  that  the  oldest  vessel 
in  this  country,  of  American  build,  is 
the  barque  Maria,  of  which  a  New 
Bedford  (Mass.)  paper  of  Aug.  11, 
1859,  thus  speaks :  The  bark  Maria 
arrived  at  this  port  last  evening,  from 
a  three-years'  cruise  in  the  Indian 
ocean.  She  was  buUt  at  the  town  of 
Pembroke,  now  called  Hanson,  for  a 
privateer,  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
She  was  bought  by  William  Rotch,  a 
merchant  of  Nantucket,  afterward  of 
this  city,  in  the  year  1783,  and  in  the 
same  year  she  made  a  voyage  to  Lon- 
don with  a  cargo  of  oil.  Her  register 
is  dated  A.  d.  1782,  and  she  is  conse- 
quently in  her  seventy-seventh  year. 
She  claims  to  be  the  first  ship  that  dis- 
played the  United  States  flag  in  a  Brit- 
ish port  after  the  Revolutionary  war, 


350 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


which  flag  is  now  in  existence,  though 
in  shreds.  Her  model  is  of  the  old 
French  construction,  tumbling  home, 
or  rounding  very  much  in  her  top 
sides,  and  she  is  consequently  very 
narrow  on  deck,  in  proportion  to  her 
size,  two  hundred  and  two  tons.  It  is 
said  that  there  stands  to  her  credit 
over  two  hundred  thousand  dollars; 
and  from  the  earliest  history  of  this 
ship,  she  never  has  been  any  expense 
by  loss  to  underwriters  except  once, 
and  that  to  a  very  small  amoimt. 


half  an  ounce,  and  so  on.  This  resem- 
bles the  mode  of  division  among  the 
Romans. 


Names  of  Vessels  and  Trade  of  New 
York  in  1680. 

A  LIST  of  the  clearances  from  the 
port  of  New  York,  for  the  year  1680 
and  a  few  years  subsequent,  shows  the 
following  quaint  names  of  vessels :  Re- 
store Peace,  Bachelor's  Delight,  the 
Golden  Hind,  Happy  Returne,  Prudent 
Mary ;  and  in  the  way  of  "  adventures  " 
— The  Brothers'  Adventure,  John's  Ad- 
venture, Nathaniel's  Adventure,  the 
Friends'  Adventure,  the  Best  Adven- 
ture, the  Drovers'  Adventure,  and  the 
Owners'  Adventure. 

The  foreign  ports  with  which  trade 
was  carried  on  in  those  days  were 
Barbadoes,  Jamaica,  the  Caribee  Isl- 
ands, Madeira,  Nevio,  Surinam,  Cura- 
?oa,  Bermuda,  Providence  Islands, 
Fayal,  Madagascar,  Antigua,  the  Lee- 
ward Islands,  St.  Christopher's,  Monser- 
rat,  Newfoundland,  St.  Augustine,  St. 
Jago,  Honduras,  London,  Amsterdam, 
Isle  of  Man,  Falmouth,  Dover,  Cowes, 
Carlisle. 


Carious  Division  of  Ships  into  Otinces. 

It  was  lately  stated  in  evidence  in  a 
bankruptcy  case  in  Wales,  that  the 
sixty-four  shares  into  which  a  vessel, 
the  ownership  of  which  was  connected 
with  the  case,  was  divided,  were  con- 
sidered equal  to  one  pound  avoirdupois, 
the  owner  of  four  shares  being  called 
the  owner  of  an  ounce,  of  two  shares  of 


First  Vessel  in  the  World. 

The  first  vessel  of  which  we  have 
any  authentic  account — ^the  first  not 
only  in  point  of  time,  but  in  size,  and 
the  magnitude  of  purpose  for  which  it 
was  intended,  is  the  Ark.  The  more 
the  dimensions,  proportions,  and  ar- 
rangement of  this  wonderful  vessel  (as 
given  in  the  simple  but  comprehensive 
directions  for  its  construction  found 
recorded)  are  considered,  the  more 
does  one's  admiration  of  it  increase,  as 
a  work  of  nautical  art,  and  as  the  most 
perfect  adaptation  of  a  means  to  an 
end.  Her  tonnage,  estimated  from  the 
data  of  size  given,  must  have  been  for- 
ty-two thousand  four  hundred  and 
thirteen  tons,  equal  to  about  eighteen 
ships  of  the  line. 


XIngrlish  Hares  by  Express. 

A  TRICK  practised  considerably  of 
late  years,  by  rogues  in  the  name  of 
expressmen,  is  to  call  upon  people  at 
their  houses  with  bundles,  purporting 
to  have  come  by  express  from  a  dis- 
tance, upon  which  they  have  the  hardi- 
hood to  collect  charges.  Their  de- 
mands are  usually  paid,  and  their  vic- 
tims too  late  discover  that  they  have 
got  in  exchange  for  their  money  only  a 
parcel  of  paper  rags,  or  other  trash.  In 
one  instance,  a  box  of  "  game  "  was  left 
at  a  house  up  town,  New  York,  and 
"  twenty  shillings  charges  "  collected — 
the  rascal  remarking  that  he  believed 
it  was  English  hares.  The  lady  was  de- 
lighted with  the  idea  that  it  was  a 
present  from  a  very  dear  friend  in  Eng- 
land, and  she  was  dying  of  impatience 
until  her  servant  man  had  opened  it, 
and  discovered  that  it  contained  only  a 
deceased  cat  1 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


351 


Telegraph  vs.  Express. 

"  Can  you  take  a  box  to  Albany  to- 
day ? "  was  the  question  of  a  good- 
looking  young  gentleman,  who  was 
trying  to  raise  a  crop  of  hair  on  his 
upper  lip,  but  which  seemed  more 
like  the  down  on  the  south  side  of  a 
peach. 

"  We  will  start  it  to-day,  and  it  will 
arrive  in  Albany  some  time  during  the 
night,  provided  the  train  has  the  good 
luck  to  arrive  here." 

"  Oh,  but  it  must  reach  there  by  nine 
o'clock  to-night,  at  the  farthest." 

"  Had  you  not  better  send  it  by  tele- 
graph?— then  there  will  be  no  doubt 
of  its  arriving  in  time." 

"  The  telegraph  man  laughed  at  me 
when  I  asked  him  to  do  it,  and  said  I 
had  better  carry  the  box  to  Albany 
myself." 

"  As  it  is  now  near  five  o'clock,  and  it 
'  must '  be  there  by  nine,  you  had  bet- 
ter follow  his  advice.  Those  gentle- 
men who  work  the  telegraph  imder- 
stand  velocity  in  a  remarkable  degree, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  they  judged  cor- 
rectly when  they  advised  you  to  take  it 
there  yourself." 

*'  I  suppose  they  judged  me  to  be  a 
fast  young  man,  from  the  observations 
they  made,  and  I  was  not  pleased  with 
them." 

"  They  seldom  form  an  incorrect 
opinion  of  those  persons  who  visit 
them,  and  I  doubt  much  whether  they 
were  mistaken  with  you." 

*'  What  must  I  do,  then  ?  " 

"Take  the  advice  of  the  telegraph 
operator." 

"  What !  and  carry  the  box  there 
myself?" 

"  Certainly.  You  know  it  mvM  be 
there  by  nine  o'clock,  and  I  know  of 
no  other  way  of  its  getting  there." 

And  such  impossibilities  are  expect- 
ed by  persons  every  day,  of  those  en- 
gaged in  the  express  business. 


ChuTcli  and  State  ts.  Railways. 

A  TRANSACTION  peculiarly  illustrat- 
ing the  character  and  policy  of  George 
Hudson  is  thus  related :  In  negotiating 
for  the  Newcastle  and  Darlington  line, 
he  had  outwitted  the  Dean  and  Chap- 
ter of  Durham,  showing  the  vanity  of 
the  idea  that  the  "  Church  and  State  " 
could  interpose  to  stay  such  great  in- 
dustrial undertakings.  He  now  again 
visited  that  ancient  archiepiscopal  see, 
in  company  with  George  Stephenson, 
for  the  purpose  of  outwitting  the  share- 
holders of  the  Durham  junction,  by 
buying  up  the  railway  between  them. 
Great  was  the  astonishment  of  the  pub- 
lic when  they  came  to  hear  the  particu- 
lars of  the  affair.  A  railway  put  into 
the  pocket  of  an  engineer  and  director  1 
The  proprietors  did  not  so  slowly  re- 
cover from  their  surprise.  Mr.  Hudson, 
by  this  purchase,  which  he  handed  over 
to  the  company,  had  gained  a  further 
step  on  the  new  highway  to  the  north, 
a  further  security  for  carrying  out  un- 
checked all  his  plans,  and  sustaining 
without  impediment  the  whole  febric 
of  his  power. 


Lloyd's  Nautical  Book. 

An  examination  of  this  curious 
British  commercial  catalogue,  and  in 
which  ten  thousand  five  hundred  and 
forty-eight  vessels  are  registered,  af- 
fords some  little  amusement  in  connec- 
tion with  the  nanies  most  popular,  or 
contrariwise,  among  British  merchants. 

The  largest  proportion  are  named 
after  their  owners,  or  some  member  of 
their  immediate  family.  The  royal 
family  also,  the  nobility,  and  eminent 
characters,  seem  to  be  favorite  names 
with  shipmasters:  for  example,  there 
are  twenty-five  Victorias,  thirteen  Al- 
berts or  Prince  Alberts,  seven  Prince 
of  Wales,  and  fourteen  Princess  Royals ; 
while  each  junior  prince  or  princess  has 
their  representatives  as  well. 

There  are  sixteen  Dukes,  besides  the 


352 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Iron  Duke,  and  six  Wellingtons,  and 
one  called,  par  excellence,  the  Duke, 
and  six  Duchesses.  Descending  a  step 
in  the  peerage,  there  are  found  six  Mar- 
quises and  seven  Marchionesses,  thirty- 
three  Earls  and  twenty-one  Countesses, 
forty-four  Lords,  and  exactly  double 
that  number  of  Ladies. 

The  army  is  represented  by  eighteen 
Generals,  and  the  navy  by  thirteen  Ad- 
mirals, The  bench  has  one  solitary 
representative  in  Baron  Martin;  and 
the  only  literary  characters  are  Burns, 
Byron,  and  Boz.  Some  of  those  good 
men  whose  names  are  as  household 
words  are  also  remembered,  such,  for 
example,  as  John  Wesley,  John  Bun- 
yan,  Heber,  Hedley  Vicars,  General 
Havelock,  and  Livingstone. 

Names  expressive  of  speed  are  natu- 
rally favorites,  there  being  eleven  Ac- 
tives, and  several  Velocity,  Alacrity, 
Alert,  Flying  Foam,  Driving  Mist,  Ar- 
row, and  Faugh  a  Ballagh,  or  Clear  the 
Way. 

Some  names  let  us  into  a  little  bit  of 
family  history ;  thus,  there  is  something 
of  filial  affection  in  calling  a  vessel  the 
Faithful  Mother,  and  her  owner  can 
easily  be  imagined  to  be  one  who  re- 
spects the  fifth  commandment.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Only  Son  is  doubtless 
a  tribute  of  parental  love.  There  are 
nimibers  of  Brothers,  Sisters,  Friends, 
and  Cousins — quite  a  large  family — 
even  excluding  the  Seven  Brothers, 
Five  Sisters,  and  the  Twins.  The  Oirl 
I  Love  tells  her  own  tale. 

Several  names  have  an  airish  smack  of 
defiance ;  thus,  Cock-o'-the-Walk,  Touch 
me  Not,  and  Let  me  Alone,  seem  to 
imply  that  any  competitor  has  but  a 
poor  chance,  and  had  better  not  try  a 
race  with  them.  Come  On^  on  the  con- 
trary, invites  a  trial  of  speed,  which  I'll 
Try  apparently  accepts.  There's  some- 
thing cheering  about  All  Right,  Fear 
Not,  and  Better  Luck  Still ;  and  some- 
thing a  little  conceited  in  Wide  Awake, 
Look  Out,  Matchless,  and  Mark  That ! 
It  is  presumable  that  Bloomer  and  Cri- 


noline belong  to  the  same  owner,  and, 
no  doubt,  if  he  builds  a  third  vessel, 
he  will  call  her — well,  the  Sky  Reach- 
er.  The  man  who  put  his  savings  in 
a  ship,  and  named  her  the  Ascendant, 
can  comfort  himself  with  the  pleasur- 
able feeling  that  he  mvM  be  growing 
wealthy,  for  are  not  all  his  fortunes  in 
the  ascendant  ?  So,  too,  the  owner 
of  Profit  and  Loss,  doubtless,  hopes  the 
results  of  his  vessel's  earnings  may  be 
represented  by  the  first  part  of  her 
name ;  and  likewise  the  owner  of  Cornu- 
copia, that  she  may  indeed  prove  to 
him  a  horn  of  plenty. 

National  characteristics  are  often  ex- 
hibited in  the  names  given  to  vessels 
in  diflferent  countries.  The  Spaniard 
evinces  the  somewhat  superstitious  ten- 
dency of  his  mind  by  such  titles  as  San- 
tissima  Trinidada,  St.  Joseph,  Mother 
Mary,  the  Twelve  Apostles,  &c. 

The  French,  again,  manifest  their  gaie- 
te  and  gallantry,  by  such  titles  for  their 
ships,  as  La  Belle  Julie,  La  Bayadere, 
La  Prima  Donna,  Mademoiselle,  &c. 

The  Dutch,  being  an  industrious, 
frugal  people,  may  naturally  be  expect- 
ed to  confirm  their  character  in  these 
respects,  by  naming  their  vessels  the 
Beaver  and  the  Gold  Hunter. 

John  Bull's  crustiness  and  pugnacity 
are  abundantly  exemplified  by  such 
names  as  the  Badger,  Lion,  Gladiator, 
Spitfire,  Boxer,  Julius  Csesar,  Ven- 
geance, Retribution,  Bull  Dog,  and  the 
nke. 


Bival  Steamboat  Lines. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1809, 
says  Prof  Renwick,  I  was  a  partaker 
in  the  exciting  scene,  then  first  enacted, 
of  a  steamboat  race.  A  company  from 
Albany  had  been  formed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  competing  with  Fulton.  The 
first  vessel  of  this  rival  line  was  adver- 
tised to  leave  Albany  at  the  same  time 
with  Fulton's,  Parties  ran  high  in  the 
hotels  of  Albany.  The  partisans  of  Ful- 
ton were  enrolled  imder  Prof.  Kemp, 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


353 


of  Columbia  College  ;  those  of  the  op- 
position under  Jacob  Stout.  The  vic- 
tory was  long  in  suspense ;  and  it  was 
not  until  after  the  thirtieth  hour  of  a 
hard  struggle  that  the  result  was  pro- 
claimed by  Dr.  Kemp,  on  the  taflfrail 
of  Fulton's  vessel,  and  holding  out,  in 
derision,  a  coil  of  rope  to  Captain  Stout, 
for  the  purpose,  as  he  informed  him, 
of  towing  him  into  port.  When  the 
age,  high  standing,  and  sedate  charac- 
ter of  these  two  gentlemen  are  consid- 
ered, it  did  not  surprise  me — remarks 
Prof.  R.,  who  witnessed  the  excite- 
ment— when  I  afterward  heard  of  West- 
em  women  having  devoted  their  bacon 
to  feed  the  fires  of  a  steamboat  furnace  1 


Arrival  of  tlie  Steamer. 

Colonel  Snow,  a  most  incorrigible 
wag,  came  in  one  morning  to  Grant's  ton- 
sorial  establishment  in  Ann  street.  New 
York,  and  with  a  face  beaming  with 
honest  excitement,  remarked,  "  Well ! 
the  steamer's  in  at  last.  She  has  made 
quick  time ;  but  she  brought  away  her 
pilot,  and  carried  away  her  pipes.  She 
had  a  fine  lot  of  passengers ;  more  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  news  she 
brings  is  not — "  Here  half  a  dozen  lis- 
teners, "  under  treatment,"  arrest  the 
barber's  hand,  and  wiping  the  lather 
from  their  faces,  inquire  with  eager- 
ness :  "  What  steamer  is  it — the  Hiber- 
nia,  or  Caledonia  ?  "  "  Oh,  bless  you, 
no  I  "  replies  the  colonel ;  "  oh,  no  ;  the 
Olive  Branch  ferry  boat  from  Brook- 
lyn ;  she  came  over  very  full  this  morn- 
ing, and  in  about  six  minutes ;  she  car- 
ried back  the  pilot  she  brought  away, 
and  at  the  same  time  she  carried  away 

her  pipes  I " 

— • — 

Bailcar  Privileges. 

Everybody  who  has  travelled  much 
on  the  Northern  railroads,  must  have 
noticed  that  in  many  of  the  cars,  the 
name  of  the  makers,  "Eaton,  Gilbert  & 
Co.,"  is  conspicuously  posted.  Not  long 
23 


since,  in  one  of  these  cars,  a  passenger 
of  the  name  of  Gilbert  was  travelling 
with  a  company  of  his  friends,  and  see- 
ing another  notice  just  over  the  above, 
to  the  effect  that  "  passengers  are  re- 
quested not  to  crack  nuts  in  the  cars," 
his  innate  love  of  fun  was  awakened. 
At  the  first  stopping  place  he  filled  Jiis 
pockets  with  peanuts,  and  distributing 
them  among  his  friends,  they  were  all 
soon  busily  engaged  in  eating  them, 
and  strewing  the  floor  with  the  shells. 
The  conductor,  in  passing,  gently  inti- 
mated that  it  was  against  the  rules,  and 
pointed  to  the  printed  notice. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Gilbert,  "  I  see,  I  see 
that ;  but  you  see  by  your  own  rules 
that  we  are  privileged." 

The  conductor,  thinking  that  they 
would  soon  stop,  without  any  further 
trouble,  passed  on.  On  his  next 
rounds,  he  found  the  same  party  still 
at  the  nuts,  and  making  a  great  dis- 
play of  shells  on  the  floor.  Out  of  pa- 
tience, he  now  spoke  up  quite  sharply, 
and  said  to  IMr.  Gilbert : 

"  You  must  comply  with  the  rules 
of  the  company,  if  you  travel  in  these 
cars." 

"  Certainly,  certainly,  we  will,  but 
you  do  not  seem  to  be  aware  that  I  and 
my  company  are  excepted  from  the  rule 
you  rSfer  to." 

"  No,  I  do  not  know  anything  of  the 
sort,  nor  you  either,  and  there  is  no  use 
having  any  words  about  it ;  you  must 
stop  or  quit  the  cars." 

"  Be  quiet  a  minute,"  replied  Mr.  Gil- 
bert, "  and  I  will  convince  you.  To  be 
sure  it  says,  '  Passengers  are  forbidden 
to  crack  nuts  in  the  cars,'  but  right  un- 
derneath is  written,  '  Eaton,  Gilbert  «& 
Co.'  Now,  my  name  is  Gilbert,  and 
this  is  my  company,  and  we  are  doing 
as  we  are  told." 

The  conductor  "  gave  it  up." 


First  Sailroad  in  Europe  and  America. 

The  first  instance  of  the  use  of  rails 
appears  to  have  been  some  time  pre- 


354 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


vions  to  the  year  1676,  at  the  collieries 
near  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  England. 
At  that  time,  the  coals  were  conveyed 
from  the  naines  to  the  banks  of  the 
river,  "  by  laying  rails  of  timber  exact- 
ly straight  and  parallel ;  and  bulky 
carts  were  made,  with  four  rollers  fit- 
ting those  rails,  whereby  the  carriage 
was  made  so  easy  that  one  horse  would 
draw  four  or  five  chaldrons  of  coal." 

An  advance  was  made  about  the  year 
1767,  in  the  use  of  iron  bars  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  upper  rail  of  the  road ; 
they  were  cast  five  feet  long,  four  inches 
wide,  and  one  and  three  fourths  inches 
thick,  with  holes  for  the  spikes  by 
which  they  should  be  secured  to  the 
lower  rail. 

The  first  railroad  company  opened 
for  conveying  passengers  was  the 
Stockton  and  Darlington  road  in  1825, 
and  this  was  worked  with  horse  power. 
In  1826,  the  French  engineer,  M.  Se- 
guin,  successfully  introduced  locomo- 
tives upon  the  railways  from  St.  Eti- 
enne  to  Lyons,  and  to  Andrezieux. 

In  the  United  States,  a  horse  railroad 
was  built  of  pine  rails,  in  1826,  from 
the  granite  quarries  of  Quincy,  Mass., 
to  the  Neponset  river,  a  distance  of 
three  miles.  This  was  the  first  in 
America,  except  a  temporary  railway 
with  two  tracks  in  Boston,  for  ifemov- 
ing  gravel  from  Beacon  Hill ;  this  was 
80  arranged,  that  while  one  train  de- 
scended the  hill  with  its  load,  the  emp- 
ty train  would  thereby  be  hauled  up 
for  loading.  The  first  use  of  a  locomo- 
tive in  this  country  was  in  1829,  and 
was  used  on  the  railroad  built  by  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  canal  company 
in  1828,  from  their  coal  mines  to 
Honesdale,  the  terminus  of  the  canal. 


Uode  of  Qetting  Money  Transmitted. 

In  the  bankerless  twelfth  century,  so 
great  was  the  difficulty  of  conveyance 
for  the  transmitting  of  money  from  Spain 
to  Rome — ^which  was  generally  done  by 
pilgrims  returning  from  Santiago — that 


for  every  ounce  of  gold  brought  safely 
to  the  treasury  of  St.  Peters,  a  year's 
indulgence  was  granted  to  the  soul  of 
the  bearer,  by  the  Roman  pontLfiF. 


Thomas  Oray,  the  Originator  of 
Railways. 

It  is  now  a  little  more  than  forty 
years  since  a  thoughtful  man,  Thomas 
Gray,  travelling  in  the  north  of  Eng- 
land on  commercial  business,  stood 
looking  at  a  small  train  of  coal  wagons 
impelled  by  steam  along  a  tramroad 
which  connected  the  mouth  of  one  of 
the  collieries  of  that  district  with  the 
wharf  at  which  the  coals  were  shipped. 

"  Why,"  asked  Gray  of  the  engineer, 
"  are  not  these  tramroads  laid  down 
all  over  England,  so  as  to  supersede 
our  common  roads,  and  steam  engines 
employed  to  convey  goods  and  passen- 
gers along  them,  so  as  to  supersede 
horse  power  ?  " 

"  Just  propose  you  that " — said  the 
engineer,  looking  at  the  questioner  with 
the  comer  of  his  eye — "  to  the  nation, 
sir,  and  see  what  you  will  get  by  it  1 
Why,  sir,  you  would  be  worried  to 
death  for  your  pains." 

Nothing  more  was  said  ;  but  the  intel- 
ligent traveller  did  not  take  the  engi- 
neer's warning.  Tramroads,  locomotive 
steam  engines,  horse  power  superseded  ! 
— the  idea  he  had  conceived  continued 
to  infest  his  brain,  and  would  not  be 
driven  out.  Tramroads,  locomotive 
steam  engines,  horse  power  superseded ! 
— he  would  talk  of  nothing  else  to  his 
friends.  Tramroads,  locomotive  steam 
engines,  horse  power  superseded ! — ^he 
at  length  broached  the  scheme  openly ; 
first  to  the  public  men  by  means  of  let- 
ters and  circulars,  and  afterward  to  the 
public  itself  by  means  of  a  printed 
book.  Hardly  any  one  would  listen  to 
his  words,  or  be  bothered  with  his  fan- 
cies ;  the  engineer's  words  seemed  like- 
ly to  prove  true. 

Still  he  persevered,  holding  the  pub- 
lic by  the  button,  as  it  were,  and  din- 
ning into  its  ears  the  same  wearisome 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


355 


words.  Projn  public  political  men,  in- 
cluding the  cabinet  ministers  of  the 
day,  he  received  little  encouragement ; 
a  few  influential  commercial  men,  how- 
ever, began  at  length  to  be  interested 
in  his  plan.  Persons  of  eminence  took 
it  up,  and  advocated  it  almost  as  eulo- 
gistically  as  the  original  projector.  It 
having  thus  been  proved,  according  to 
Dogberry's  immortal  phrase,  that  the 
scheme  was  a  good  scheme,  it  soon 
went  near  to  be  thought  so.  Capital 
came  to  its  aid.  In  1826,  Parliament 
passed  an  act  authorizing  the  construc- 
tion of  the  first  British  railway,  proper- 
ly so  called. 


Iiarsest  Ship-owner  in  England. 

The  number  of  ships  belonging  to 
Mr.  Dunbar,  of  Limehouse,  the  eminent 
Protectionist  ship-owner,  has  been  set 
down  at  thirty-three,  the  aggregate 
burthen  of  which  is  twenty-two  thou- 
sand tons,  or  about  one  thousand  more 
than  the  Messrs.  Green.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  these  vessels  were  bought 
while  the  repeal  of  the  navigation  laws 
was  under  agitation,  or  since  they  were 
repealed — some  of  them  very  lately. 
And  yet  Mr.  Dimbar  has  been  the  lead- 
er among  those  who  declared  that  Brit- 
ish shipping  has  been  and  is  in  a  state 
of  ruin,  during  the  whole  of  the  period 
which  he  has  employed  in  accumulat- 
ing this  enormous  mercantile  fleet — the 
largest  ever  owned  in  that  country  by 
an  individual  ship-owner. 


liiteratrore  of  the  Cabin. 

Many  a  downeast  man  has  made  a 
crack  sea-captain,  while  he  was  a  poor 
hand  at  spelling.  Capt.  Ezekiel  Jen- 
kins was  one  of  these  men ;  he  knew 
the  ropes  well,  but  writing  letters  was 
not  his  forte.  He  sailed  the  ship  Jehu, 
from  Boston  to  South  America,  while 
the  republics  were  in  a  disturbed  condi- 
tion, and  the  port  he  designed  to  make 
was  blockaded;  he  could  not  enter, 


and  his  cargo  could  find  no  market. 
He  informed  his  owners  of  the  state  of 
things,  in  a  letter  so  remarkably  con- 
densed as  to  incline  toward  the  ob- 
scure. It  was  in  these  words  :  "  Sib — 
Own  to  the  blockhead  the  vig  is  spilt.^' 
The  owners  could  not  make  it  out,  but 
a  friend  of  the  captain,  more  familiar 
with  his  laconic  style,  read  it  thus: 
"  Sir — Owing  to  the  blockade,  the 
voyage  is  spoilt." 


Paying  oft  Jack. 

A  SHIP-OWNER,  in  despatching  a  ves- 
sel, had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  with  one 
of  his  men,  who  had  got  very  "  top- 
heavy  "  on  his  advance  wages.  After 
the  vessel  had  accomplished  her  voy- 
age, on  settling  with  the  crew,  it  came 
to  this  man's  turn  to  be  paid.  "  What 
name  ? "  asked  the  merchant.  *'  Cain, 
sir,"  was  the  reply.  "  What !  are  you 
the  man  who  slew  his  brother  ? "  face- 
tiously rejoined  the  merchant.  "  No,  sir," 
was  the  ready  and  witty  reply  of  Jack, 
with  a  knowing  wink,  and  giving  his 
trowsers  a  nautical  hitch,  "  Fm  the  man 
that  was  slewed  !  " 


"No  Swearing:  among:  the  Crew." 

A  MERCHANT  in  One  of  our  seaports, 
on  fitting  out  a  ship  for  India,  told  the 
captain  at  the  time  of  making  the  con- 
tract for  the  voyage,  that  there  must  be 
no  swearing  among  the  crew ;  that  he, 
the  captain,  must  engage  not  to  swear 
himself  nor  permit  others  to  be  pro- 
fane ;  that  he  must  do  as  he  pleased, 
with  respect  to  taking  command  of  the 
ship  on  these  terms,  but,  if  he  accepted 
the  employment,  it  would  be  expected 
that  he  should  rigidly  adhere  to  the 
stipulation,  and  that  it  should  be 
known  as  the  law  of  the  ship,  that  no 
profaneness  could  be  permitted. 

The  captain  seemed  to  have  no  ob- 
jection to  reforming,  but  inquired : 
"  How  can  I  suddenly  break  off"  an  in- 
veterate habit  ? "  "I  will  take  care  that 


856 


COMMERCIAL  AND   BUSINESS   ANECDOTES. 


you  be  reminded  of  your  duty,"  said 
the  owner ;  "  wear  the  ring  that  I  shall 
give  you,  and  let  the  law  of  the  vessel 
be  explicitly  known."  Accordingly  he 
procured  a  ring  for  the  captain,  with 
this  motto  engraved  upon  it :  "  Swear 
not  at  all." 

The  vessel  soon  sailed,  and  after  per- 
forming the  voyage,  returned  to  the 
seaport  from  whence  she  sailed.  On 
being  inquired  of  respecting  the  sub- 
ject, the  supercargo  declared  that  there 
had  been  no  profanity  on  board,  except- 
ing a  little  within  the  first  twenty  days 
after  sailing.  At  the  close  of  this  short 
period,  the  old  habit  was  entirely  mas- 
tered ;  and  during  the  remainder  of  the 
voyage,  both  at  sea  and  in  port,  the 
success  of  the  experiment  was  complete. 


TTsefulnesa  of  Steamboats  in  Keducing: 
the  Population. 

AccoBDiNG  to  one  of  the  most  ob- 
serving of  modem  writers,  it  is  to  the 
over-population  of  a  country  that  its 
social  or  commercial  depression  is  due. 
Of  the  numerous  remedies  applicable  to 
this  evil,  none  have  been  found  so  efifec- 
tual  as  steamboats ;  and,  although,  their 
superiority  over  the  small-pox  and  rail- 
roads has  sometimes  been  sharply  dis- 
puted, yet,  from  the  increased  favor  in 
which  every  succeeding  season  they 
are  held,  as  engines  of  destruction,  it 
is  clear  that  the  highest  opinion  is  en- 
tertained of  their  efficacy. 

In  proof  of  this,  any  one  who  doubts 
may  safely  be  cited  to  the  cheap  excur- 
sion boats  on  their  Sunday  trips.  The 
deck  crammed,  and  no  convenient 
standing-room  on  the  paddle-wheels, 
he  will  be  wedged  in  by  the  crowd  so 
tightly  as  to  save  him  from  any  use  of 
his  limbs  when  the  accident,  which  is 
sure  to  occur,  takes  place.  Exactly  at 
the  moment  of  the  start,  an  opposition 
boat  will  also  set  oflF,  so  that  the  speed 
will  be  deliciously  exhilarating,  ^nd 
everything  will  be  done  to  realize,  to 
the  most  ardent  expectant,  the  usual 
catastrophe.    In  trying  to  give  "Hell 


turn"  as  narrow  a  berth  as  possible, 
each  captain  wUl  foul  his  adversary, 
and  a  few  passengers  will  be  missed 
from  the  paddle  boxes,  to  make  an  ad- 
ditional hole  or  turn  in  the  water.  As 
they  wiU  very  likely  amount  to  a  dozen 
or  so — quite  enough  to  help  one  an- 
other— it  would  be  nonsense  to  stop 
either  vessel,  and  so  the  burthen  being 
thus  lightened,  the  speed  is  doubled. 

In  furtherance,  too,  of  the  praisewor- 
thy object  for  which  these  vessels  were 
originally  started  (the  reduction  of  the 
population),  they  are  ordered  to  "go 
on  "  at  the  precise  moment  a  passenger 
is  stepping  off". 


American  Shipnolog7. 

Perhaps  nothing  so  strikingly  indi- 
cates the  change  which  has  taken  place 
in  the  mercantile  marine  of  this  coun- 
try— at  least  so  far  as  mere  taste  is  con- 
cerned— as  the  ingenuity  displayed  in. 
the  invention  of  names  for  ships.  For- 
merly, merchants  were  satisfied  with  a 
plain  and  modest  nomenclature,  calling 
their  vessels  after  their  wives,  or  their 
friends,  or  by  the  name  of  some  an- 
cient worthy  or  modern  hero,  or  by 
some  homespun  adjective,  expressive 
of  strength  and  safety.  Now  all  this  is 
changed.  "We  have  the  Courser,  the 
Bucephalus,  the  Storm  King,  the  Fly- 
ing Cloud,  the  Flying  Dutchman,  and 
the  Flying  Childers ;  the  Stag  Hound, 
the  Wild  Pigeon,  the  Sea  Gull,  and 
the  Bald  Eagle;  the  Sea  Foam,  the 
Billow  Crest,  the  Ocean  Spray,  and  the 
Ocean  "Wave ;  the  "West  "Wind  and  the 
"Whirlwind,  the  Simoom  and  the  Siroc- 
co ;  and  lastly,  the  Thunder  Cloud,  the 
Phantom,  the  Tornado,  the  Tempest, 
the  "Wings  of  the  Morning,  Ocean  Mon- 
arch, Leviathan,  Fury  of  the  Billow, 
Hurricane,  "Wildfire,  Thimderer,  &c. 


Origin  of  the  Xbcpress  Business  : 

Hamden's  First  Trip. 
"With  the  innovations  of  railways, 
the  stage  drivers  and  wagoners  found, 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


857 


like  Othello,  their  "  occupation  gone." 
The  loss  of  their  services  seriously  in- 
commoded the  public,  but  the  rail- 
road offered  no  remedy.  Years  passed, 
trade  and  intercommunication  between 
town  and  country  suffering,  in  the 
meanwhile,  from  this  cause.  At  length, 
hardly  realizing  what  an  improvement 
he  was  about  to  effect,  William  F.  Harn- 
den,  then  a  railroad  conductor,  started 
the  express  business.  The  idea  was 
not  original  with  him  exclusively,  as 
will  presently  be  seen,  but  to  him  is 
due  the  honor  of  having  been  the  first 
to  put  it  into  execution. 

It  was  in  1839  that  Major  PuUen  and 
Mr.  Harnden  were  both  in  the  employ 
of  the  Boston,  Providence,  Worcester 
and  New  York  Railroad  and  Steamboat 
Companies.  Mr.  Hamden's  health  was 
so  bad,  at  this  time,  that  he  was  unfit- 
ted for  his  accustomed  duties.  His  pe- 
cuniary circumstances  were  such  that  he 
could  not  remain  idle.  In  this  crisis 
of  his  affairs  he  knew  not  what  to  do 
to  sustain  himself  and  his  family. 

Speaking  to  his  friend.  Major  PuUen, 
on  the  subject,  who  was  agent  of  the 
Steamboat  Company  at  Boston,  he  ask- 
ed his  advice  as  to  what  he  had  bet- 
ter do.  They  were,  on  this  occasion, 
in  the  office  on  board  the  steamer  John 
W.  Richmond ;  near  them,  a  number 
of  small  packages  were  lying  about, 
which  were  intrusted  to  the  care  of  the 
agent  for  delivery,  as  was  the  custom 
at  that  time.  Major  PuUen  says  to  Mr. 
H.  substantially  as  follows :  "  I  think 
you  can  make  a  good  living  by  taking 
care  of  these  packages  and  delivering 
them.  If  you  will  try  it,  I  will  give 
you  all  the  packages  and  errands  that 
are  left  with  me,  and  give  you  all  the 
aid  in  my  power  to  help  you  along  in 
the  business."  Some  friends  standing 
by  advised  Mr.  H.  to  do  so.  After 
some  deliberation, .  Mr.  Hamden  com- 
menced his  new  avocation. 

From  this  small  beginning,  express- 
ing has  attained  its  present  prominent 
position,  as  among  the  first  class  of  bu- 


siness occupations  in  the  country.  The 
only  through  route  from  Boston  to 
New  York,  at  that  time,  was  by  rail- 
road to  Providence,  and  thence  to  New 
York  by  the  steamer  John  W.  Rich- 
mond. The  old  line  of  steamboats  ran 
from  Stonington  to  New  York.  Ham- 
den had  no  paid  agent  in  the  latter  city 
at  the  outset.  The  messengers  (called, 
during  the  first  year  or  two,  conduc- 
tors), attended  to  all  the  business. 
Harnden  himself  acted  in  that  capacity, 
usually  making  the  trip  in  the  "  J.  W. 
R.,"  and  carrying  his  entire  express  in 
an  ordinary  valise.  Upon  his  arrival 
in  New  York  or  Boston,  he  would  has- 
ten to  deliver  the  parcels  intrusted  to 
him  by  his  customers,  who  were  most- 
ly booksellers  and  brokers. 

Out  of  compliment  to  Mr.  Hamden, 
as  the  originator  of  that  line,  and  the 
first  one  in  the  business,  the  line  still 
retains  the  name  of  "  Hamden's  Ex- 
press," though  none  of  his  name  or  kin, 
now  he  is  dead,  are  connected  with  it. 

The  express  tries  to  do  everything 
for  everybody — any  and  all  kinds  of 
service.  They  carry  the  exchange  for 
the  banks ;  they  collect  notes,  bills, 
drafts,  accounts,  rents,  etc. ;  they  carry 
all  the  small  and  large  packages  which 
are  either  too  valuable,  or  otherwise 
unsafe  to  intmst  to  the  mails  ;  and  they 
extend  over  all  sections  of  our  own 
continent,  besides  forming  one  of  the 
most  important  links  in  the  great  com- 
mercial chain  which  connects  us  with 
the  old  world. 


Sellingr  a  Brig— The  Rulingr  Passion. 

A  VERT  good  story  is  told  of  old  em- 
bargo times  and  the  war  of  1813.  Un- 
der the  impulse  of  the  removal  of  em- 
bargo, there  was  a  sudden  rise  in  the 
value  of  property,  and  such  a  demand 
for  it  that  merchandise  was  sometimes 
carried  off  from  vessels  before  the  own- 
ers arrived  at  their  place  of  business ; 
and  the  parties  taking  it  came  in  after- 
ward to  say  that  they  were  at  the  own- 


358 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


er's  mercy,  and  must  pay  what  they 
chose  to  ask, 

A  brig  was  lying  at  Boston  harbor, 
which  had  come  up  from  Plymouth 
just  before  the  embargo  was  laid,  fit 
for  sea.  The  Plymouth  owner  thought 
it  was  a  good  time  to  sell  the  brig,  and 
sent  up  his  son  for  the  purpose,  telling 
him  to  demand  $8,000  for  her,  and  not 
take  less  than  $6,000.  John  went  to 
Boston,  found  how  things  stood,  sold 
the  brig  in  a  moment,  as  it  were,  and 
hurried  home,  elated  with  his  bargain. 
As  he  neared  the  house,  he  saw  the  old 
man  marching  up  and  down  the  piazza, 
and  presently  he  hastened  out  to  meet 
his  son,  and  hear  the  result  of  the  sale. 

"  Have  you  sold  the  brig,  John  ?  " 

"  Yes,  father." 

"  For  how  much,  John  ?  " 

"  For  ten  thousand  dollars  !  " 

"  Ten  thousand  dollars  !  "  cried  the 
old  man,  with  staring  eyes,  at  hearing 
a  price  more  than  double  what  the  ves- 
sel cost — "  Ten  thousand  dollars  ?  PU 
bet  you've  sold  her  to  some  swindler, 
who  don't  care  what  the  price  is,  and 
never  means  to  pay  his  notes." 

"  Notes,  did  you  say,  father  ?  Why, 
there  are  no  notes  in  the  case ;  I  got 
the  money,  and  put  it  in  the  bank. 
Draw,  and  you  will  get  it," 

The  old  gentleman's  excitement  was 
suddenly  cooled,  and  as  the  ruling  pas- 
sion rose  in  its  place,  he  said  : 

*'  I  say,  John,  couldn't  you  have  got 
a  leetle  more  ? " 


Porwarding  by  Telegraph. 

Of  all  the  telegraphic  absurdities  to 
be  met  with,  none  can  be  much  mote 
amusing  than  that  relating  to  a  man  in 
the  south  of  France,  who  received  a 
letter  from  his  son  in  the  army  before 
Sebastopol,  begging  his  father  to  send 
him  a  pair  of  new  shoes,  and  a  five- 
franc  piece.  The  old  man  was  very 
willing  to  comply  with  the  request,  but 
having  no  readier  means  of  forwarding 
the  articles  than  the  telegraph,  which 


conveniently  passed  within  half  a  mile 
of  his  house,  he  procured  the  shoes, 
and  hung  them  on  the  wire,  with  the 
money  inside.  A  laborer  returning 
homeward,  seeing  the  shoes  dangling 
to  the  wires,  took  them  down,  and 
finding  they  fitted  him,  carried  them 
off,  leaving  his  old  ones  in  their  place. 
In  the  evening,  the  old  man  came  out 
to  see  how  the  wires  had  performed 
their  work,  and  was  delighted  at  the 
result :  "  My  poor  boy,"  said  he,  "  has 
not  only  received  the  shoes  I  sent  him, 
but  has  already  returned  the  old  ones." 


Jumel  the  Merchant,  and  the  Carman. 

Stephen  JuMEL  was  among  the  early 
merchant  princes  of  New  York.  One 
morning,  about  ten  o'clock,  in  the  year 
1806,  this  gentleman,  in  company  with 
William  Bayard,  Harmon  Leroy,  Archi- 
bald Gracie,  and  some  dozen  others, 
were  reading  and  discussing  the  news 
just  arrived  from  Liverpool,  in  the 
extra  short  passage  of  seven  weeks. 
The  matter  mostly  concerned  Napoleon 
the  First  and  the  battle  of  Wagram, 
While  thus  engaged,  a  carman's  horse 
backed  his  cart  into  the  Whitehall  slip, 
at  the  head  of  which  these  gentlemen 
were  grouped  together.  The  cart  was 
got  out,  but  the  horse  was  drowned, 
and  every  one  began  pitying  the  poor 
carman's  ill  luck.  Jumel  instantly 
started,  and  placing  a  ten  dollar  bill 
between  his  thumb  and  fingers,  and 
holding  it  aloft,  while  it  fluttered  in 
the  breeze,  and  with  his  hat  in  the 
other  hand  he  walked  through  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  crowd,  ex- 
claiming, "  How  much  you  pity  the 
poor  man  ?  /  pity  him  ten  dollars. 
How  much  you  pity  him?"  By  this 
ingenious  and  noble  coup-d'etat,  says 
Barrett,  he  collected,  in  a  few  moments, 
about  seventy  dollars,  which  he  gave 
over  at  once  to  the  unfortunate  and 
fortunate  carman. 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


359 


Scene  in  an  Express  Office. 

"  How  much  will  you  charge  to  take 
this  package  to  Illinois  ?." 

"  One  dollar." 

"  Outrageous  I  It  is  only  worth  fifty 
cents,  and  you  have  the  conscience  to 
charge  twice  the  worth  of  it." 

It  is  not  our  fault  that  the  cost  was 
only  fifty  cents ;  you  can  make  the 
package  twice  as  large  and  a  hundred 
times  as  valuable,  and  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation will  only  be  the  same." 

"  But  that  I  do  not  want  to  do,  as  it 
will  be  so  much  out  of  my  pocket  for 
nothing." 

"  Yet  you  do  not  think  it  will  be 
*  outrageous '  for  us  to  be  out  of  pock- 
et in  carrying  this  to  your  Mend  1 " 

"I  cannot  see  that  you  will  be  at 
any  loss  by  taking  it  for  fifty  cents. 
If  you  can  explain  it  to  me  I  will  be 
satisfied." 

"  Sensible  to  the  last,  and  I  am  truly 
glad  that  you  ask  for  the  information. 
Well,  in  the  first  place,  we  charge  you 
two  shillings  to  carry  this  to  B.,  then 
pai/  two  shillings  to  get  it  to  C,  two 
shillings  from  C.  to  M.,  and  two  shil- 
lings from  M.  to  S.,  where  your  friend 
resides,  thus  making  one  dollar.  If  we 
take  it  for  fifty  cents,  we  will  be  obli- 
ged to  carry  it  to  B.  for  nothing,  and 
pay  from  B.  to  C.  two  shillings  out  of 
our  own  pocket,  thus  losing  cash  two 
shillings,  and  the  freight  from  here  to 
B.,  which  we  pay  to  the  railroad — 
thus  actually  losing  about  forty  cents, 
besides  assuming  the  responsibility  of 
delivering  your  package  to  your  friend 
in  Illinois." 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  such  was  the 
case,  and  pardon  me  for  speaking  so 
abruptly  when  I  came  in." 

"  Granted,  my  dear  sir ;  and  it  al- 
ways affords  us  pleasure  to  give  any 
information  in  our  power  in  regard  to 
business.  And  I  assure  you,  that  if 
many  persons  who  think  we  are  extor- 
tioners and  swindlers,  and  call  us  many 
other  hard  names,  would  only  ask  for  a 


reason,  they  would  be  as  satisfied  as 
you  are."  ^ 

Luxuries  in  the  Car. 

The  smoking  saloon,  it  now  appears, 
is  only  the  first  of  a  series  of  luxuries 
which  it  is  intended  to  bestow  upon 
travellers  by  railway.  Thus,  it  is  in 
contemplation  to  run  a  refreshment- 
room  with  every  train,  so  that  people 
will  have  their  time  allowed  them  to 
eat  the  articles  sold,  instead  of  being 
restricted,  as  at  present,  simply  to  the 
privilege  of  payment. 

Various  plans  have  from  time  to  time 
been  suggested,  to  enable  passengers  to 
swallow  a  cup  of  boiling  tea  or  coffee, 
or  a  basin  of  hot  soup  in  a  minute  and 
a  half  at  the  stations ;  but  it  has  been 
over  and  over  again  proved  that  the 
time  specified  is  absolutely  insufficient 
for  such  a  purpose.  It  has  even  been 
suggested  that  there  might  be  kept 
and  sold  at  all  the  refreshment-rooms 
a  preparation  similar  to  that  which 
enabled  a  certain  Frenchman  some 
years  ago,  to  swallow  melted  lead 
without  any  inconvenience.  Others 
have  proposed  that  parties  should  be 
allowed  to  take  soup  or  tea  into  the 
car  with  them,  and  send  back  the  cup 
or  basin  by  the  up  or  down  train,  with 
a  return  ticket  fastened  to  the  piece 
of  crockery  as  a  proof  of  its  contents 
having  been  paid  for. 

The  most  feasible  scheme,  however,  is 
believed  to  be  the  one  above  hinted  at, 
namely,  a  portable  refreshment  room, 
one  of  which  should  travel  with  every 
train;  and  it  might  be  advisable  to 
have  the  boiler  of  the  engine  supplied 
with  soup  instead  of  plain  water.  It 
has  been  calculated  that  the  steam  pro- 
duced from  the  former  liquid — being 
somewhat  spicy — would  have  much 
greater  strength  or  force  than  the 
vapor  arising  from  the  latter ;  and  the 
power  of  prqpwZsion  natural  to  pea 
soup  would  have  a  wonderful  in- 
fluence .on  the  speed  of  a  powerful 
locomotive. 


360 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


On  oue  line  there  has  for  some  time 
been  a  shaving  saloon,  the  want  of 
which  had  long  been  sadly  felt.  The 
length  of  time  on  the  journey  by  this 
line  was  so  considerable  that  a  person 
quitting  the  car  on  arriving  at  his  des- 
tination felt  ashamed  to  go  forth,  in 
consequence  of  his  beard  and  hair 
having  grown  to  a  most  unsightly 
length  since  he  left  the  terminus  he 
started  from. 

On  another  line,  something  has  been 
said  about  a  course  of  lectures  on  ana- 
tomy, amputation,  life  insurance,  and 
kindred  subjects,  likely  to  possess  an 
immediate  interest  to  persons  travelling 
on  railways,  but  the  plan  has  not  been 
matured, — an  almost  insuperable  diffi- 
culty being  the  frequent  interruption 
of  the  lecturer  occasioned  by  the 
shrieks  and  thinning  oflF  of  the  pas- 
sengers, on  account  of  collisions  and 
similar  catastrophes  along  the  line. 


Probable  Origin  of  Schooners. 

The  first  schooner  ever  launched  in 
this  country,  is  said  to  have  been  built 
at  Cape  Ann,  in  1714, — that  is,  a  ves- 
sel of  the  build  and  rig  described  by 
that  word.  In  regard  to  the  origin  of 
the  name  or  term  "  schooner,"  Cotton 
Tufts  says :  "  Being  in  Gloucester, 
Mass.,  Sept.  8,  1790,  I  was  informed, 
and  committed  the  same  to  writing, 
that  the  kind  of  vessel  called  schoon- 
ers, derived  their  name  from  this  cir- 
cumstance, viz. :  Mr.  Andrew  Robinson, 
of  that  place,  having  constructed  a  ves- 
sel which  he  masted  and  rigged  in  the 
same  manner  as  schooners  are  at  this 
day,  on  her  going  off  the  stocks  into 
the  water,  a  bystander  cried  out,  "  Oh, 
how  she  schoons  ! "  Robinson  instantly 
replied,  "  A  schooner  let  her  be," — from 
which  time  vessels  thus  masted  and 
rigged  have  gone  by  the  name  of 
"  schooners,"  but  before  which  instance 
vessels  of  this  classification  were  not 
known  in  Europe  or  America.  This  ac- 
count was  confirmed  to  me  by  a  great 


number  of  persons  in  Gloucester.  1 
made  particular  inquiry  of  an  aged  sea 
captain,  who  informed  me  that  he  had 
not,  in  any  of  his  voyages  to  Europe  or 
in  America,  seen  any  of  those  vessels 
prior  to  Robinson's  construction." 


Female  Shipmaster  from  Cape  Horn  to 
San  Francisco. 

The  name  of  Mary  Patten  will  long 
be  remembered  as  that  of  one  of  the 
most  heroic  of  her  sex.  She  was  the 
wife  of  a  merchant  shipmaster,  who, 
far  off  on  the  lonely  Pacific,  with  no 
eye  to  witness,  and  no  voice  to  cheer 
her,  when  her  husband  was  taken  down 
by  illness,  now  tended  him  in  his  cabin, 
now  took  his  place  at  the  quarter-deck 
of  his  forlorn  vessel, — took  her  chief 
observation  every  day  with  the  sextant, 
laid  down  the  ship's  course  on  the 
chart,  cheered  and  encouraged  the 
desponding  crew,  arrested  the  mu- 
tinous chief  mate,  who  was  for  creep- 
ing into  the  nearest  port — and,  poor 
young  wife  as  she  was,  hardly  twenty 
years  of  age,  yet  with  a  strong  will  and 
a  stout  heart,  steered  her  husband's 
vessel,  through  storm  and  through 
calm,  from  Cape  Horn  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. 


Prussian  Ship  navigated  by  a  Lady. 

In  Prussia,  as  well  as  in  Holland, 
captains  in  the  merchant  service,  of 
small  property, — which  generally  con- 
sists of  a  small  class  vessel  commanded 
by  themselves — make  the  vessel  their 
homo,  and  live  there  constantly,  with 
their  families,  who  accompany  their 
head  in  all  his  voyages. 

One  of  these  Prussian  captains,  M. 
Hesser,  was  navigating  his  galliot 
Minerva,  from  Konigsberg  to  Riga. 
On  board  his  vessel  was  his  young  wife, 
with  three  small  children,  and  his  crew, 
composed  of  a  mate  and  four  sailors. 
In  the  Baltic,  during  a  violent  storm  in 
the  night,  while  Hesser  and  his  men 
were  on  deck,  the  galliot  was  run  into 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


361 


by  an  English  merchant-ship ;  and  the 
shock  of  the  two  vessels  was  so  great 
that  Captain  Hesser  and  one  of  his  sai- 
lors was  thrown  against  the  prow  of  the 
English  vessel,  to  which  they  clung, 
and  from  whence  they  crawled  on 
board  that  ship.  The  three  other 
sailors  fell  into  the  sea  and  disap- 
peared immediately,  so  that  there  re- 
mained on  the  galliot  only  Mrs.  Hesser, 
her  three  children,  and  the  mate — the 
latter  having,  during  the  accident,  met 
with  a  severe  fall,  by  which  he  was  so 
seriously  wounded  as  to  be  imable  to 
work. 

In  this  state  of  things,  Mrs.  Hesser 
had  the  courage  to  take  upon  herself 
the  charge  of  navigating  the  ship.  By 
turns  captain,  mate  and  sailor,  using 
the  little  nautical  knowledge  she  had 
been  able  to  acquire  in  her  former 
voyages, — this  intrepid  young  woman 
succeeded,  by  incessant  labor,  in  gain- 
ing, with  her  vessel,  the  port  of  Riga, 
The  native  and  foreign  sailors  at  Riga, 
having  learned  the  courageous  conduct 
of  Mrs.  Hesser,  caused  a  medal  to  be 
struck  in  her  honor,  and  the  corpora- 
tion of  seamen  at  Riga  presented  her 
with  one  thousand  dollars.  Captain 
Hesser  and  his  sailor,  who  were 
saved  on  board  the  English  vessel,  were 
carried  in  the  latter  to  Rostock,  where 
they  arrived  safe  and  sound  at  Riga. 


Boyal  Schemers  in  Hallways. 

The  madness  of  railway  speculation 
which  some  years  since  spread  like  a 
contagion  abroad,  involved  royal  blood 
and  the  peers  of  more  than  one  realm. 
Prince  de  Joinville  mounted  a  tender ; 
Lord  F.  Egerton  sought  to  make  a  rail- 
way all  by  himself;  Earl  Lonsdale 
bought  one ;  Lord  Belhaven  conde- 
scended to  speak  at  meetings;  Lord 
Worsley  even  took  the  chair ;  the  Mar- 
quis of  Ormonde  trundled  a  wheelbar- 
row in  the  presence  of  his  admiring 
peasantry ;  and  Lord  WhamcliflFe, 
"high  in  the  councUa  of  her  Majes- 


ty," cut  turf  on  correct  geometrical 
principles.  The  schemes  in  which 
these  illustrious  names  figured  were 
got  up,  in  many  cases,  somewhat  on 
the  following  plan :  A  flattering  pros- 
pectus is  issued,  promising  ten  per 
cent.,  and  perfect  prosperity.  Some 
secret  agent  of  the  directors  is  on  the 
stock  exchange,  puffing  up  the  shares. 
A  price  is  named ;  it  is  eagerly  accept- 
ed by  him,  the  bargain  is  made,  and 
the  price  of  the  scrip  established.  The 
agents  continue  to  buy ;  the  jobbers, 
calculating  on  plenty  of  scrip  being  in 
the  market,  are  willing  to  sell  on  the 
liberal  term  which  the  agent  pays; 
and  they  enter  into  engagements  to 
deliver  a  large  quantity  of  scrip. 
When  a  sufficient  number  of  shares 
are  sold  to  satisfy  the  grasping  avarice 
of  the  directors,  they  profess  to  con- 
sider the  applications ;  and  it  is  an- 
nounced that  no  more  letters  will  be 
received,  and  that  letters  of  allotment 
have  been  forwarded  to  the  fortunate 
applicants,  taking  care,  however,  not 
to  issue  a  tenth  part  of  the  number  pre- 
viously sold  in  the  market.  The  letters 
applying  for  shares  are  burnt  by  bush- 
els, without  even  the  trouble  of  open- 
ing them  ;  and  those  who  have  sold  at 
five  pounds  a  share  cannot  even  buy  at 
three  times  that  sum,  if  the  consciences 
of  the  directors  are  sufficiently  elastic 
to  allow  so  enormous  a  robbery.  Pre- 
miums, patronage,  and  pay,  made  the 
brains  of  the  directors  swim  and  swell. 
Men  who  were  known  to  have  been 
penniless  a  year  before,  suddenly  kept 
their  broughams  or  started  barouches. 
Valuable  diamonds  gleamed  from  fin- 
gers which  had  hitherto  been  guiltless 
of  the  bright  adornment.  Railway 
papers  and  railway  pantaloons,  railway 
ties  and  railway  tricks,  abounded.  It 
was  railway  madness  indeed.  London 
was  to  be  tunnelled  that  the  train 
might  run  beneath  her  mighty  heart ; 
colonnades  were  to  be  formed  in  the 
air  that  the  engine  might  pass  over  the 
path  of  the  pedestrian,  and  it  was  final- 


362 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


ly  suggested  that  there  should  be  one 
great  terminus  for  all  the  companies, 
and  that  that  terminus  should  be  a 
lunatic  asylum ! 

The  system  was  fruitful,  and  every 
one  said  there  was  no  risk.  When 
shares  were  demanded  of  a  company, 
and  they  only  came  out  at  par,  the 
letter  of  allotment  was  put  into  the 
fire ;  if  they  arrived  at  a  premium  they 
were  sold.  Men  without  a  shilling  wrote 
for  hundreds  of  shares.  Journeymen 
mechanics  styled  themselves  esquires, 
and  signed  deeds  for  thousands.  The 
names  of  men  well  known  in  the  city 
as  gamblers,  whose  notorious  character 
had  banished  them  from  the  society  of 
all  good  men,  suddenly  reappeared  on 
the  lists  of  the  proprietors  and  directors, 
their  names  graced  by  the  cheap  "  es- 
quire," and  their  residences  given  in 
some  far  distant  county.  Tricks  of 
all  sorts  were  played ;  and  in  one  in- 
stance the  whole  of  the  type  and  stock 
in  trade  of  a  printer  was  purchased  by 
one  company,  to  prevent  its  rival  from 
publishing  an  important  document  by 
a  particular  period — ^this  rtise  proving 
successful,  and  the  document  behind 
its  time. 

On  the  last  day  allotted  for  the  recep- 
tion of  plans  by  the  Board  of  Trade, 
a  most  astonishing  scene  was  witnessed. 
As  the  time  approached,  an  anxiety 
which  passes  belief  was  evinced. 
Higher  wages  were  paid  to  those  who 
could  or  would  work  in  preparing  the 
plans.  Night  after  night  witnessed 
the  earnest  workman  still  snatching  a 
brief  repose  for  an  hour  or  two,  that 
he  might  resume  his  labors  with  greater 
energy.  Post-horses  were  in  demand. 
Special  trains  brought  plans  from  all 
sections.  Railway  companies  refused 
trains  which  would  assist  opposition 
projects;  and  the  exertion  made  to 
lodge  those  which  were  ready,  is 
almost  incredible.  The  clerks  were 
overwhelmed  with  them ;  and  though 
an  additional  number  of  those  gentle- 
men were  employed,  it  was  impossible 


to  keep  pace  with  the  incessant  arri- 
vals. The  place  became  crowded. 
The  last  hour  was  approaching.  An 
alarm  seized  on  all  that  the  necessary 
forms  could  not  be  gone  through  in 
time.  The  clock  struck,  and  the  doors 
were  closing,  when  a  gentleman,  with 
the  plans  of  a  proposed  railway  for 
Surrey,  rushed  in,  and  succeeded  in 
lodging  his  charge.  The  doors  were 
then  closed,  and,  in  a  short  time,  a  post- 
chaise,  with  foaming  steeds,  galloped 
up  to  the  entrance.  Down  the  passage, 
and  toward  the  office,  rushed  the  three 
occupants,  with  their  cherished  papers. 
The  door  was  shut ;  but  railway  per- 
sons deemed  themselves  privileged,  and 
the  bell  was  loudly  rung.  The  unsus- 
picious inspector  of  police  answered 
the  ring;  and  the  huge  documents 
were  thrown  in  at  a  venture ;  but  were 
again  thrown  into  the  street.  Many 
were  too  late  for  the  appointed  hour. 
The  labor  of  anxious  days  and  weary 
nights,  the  results  of  plotting  heads  and 
crafty  brains,  were  rejected. 


Ijaughable  Opposition  to  Steam  Trains. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  and 
romantic  pages  that  could  be  furnished 
readers  at  the  present  day,  might  be 
found  in  the  literature  of  early  railways 
— gleanings  from  the  speeches,  pam- 
phlets, reports,  etc.,  which  the  pro- 
posal of  such  schemes  brought  forth. 
A  few  scraps  will  meet  the  purpose  of 
this  volume. 

It  was  contended  by  the  opponents 
of  these  enterprises,  that  canal  convey- 
ance was  quicker;  that  the  smoke  of 
the  engines  would  injure  gentlemen's 
seats  and  villas ;  and  one  writer,  more 
imaginative  than  perceptive,  described 
the  locomotives  as  "terrible  things," 
although,  on  further  questioning,  he 
admitted  he  had  never  seen  one.  It 
was  boldly  declared,  too,  that  a  gale 
of  wind  would  stop  the  progress  of  the 
carriage ;  that  there  would  be  no  more 
practical  advantage  in  a  railway  than 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND   COMMUNICATION. 


363 


in  a  canal ;  that  Mr.  Stephenson  was 
totally  devoid  of  common  sense.  The 
plan  was  asserted  to  be  based  on  fraud 
and  folly;  that  balloons  and  rockets 
were  as  feasible ;  and  that  the  whole 
line  would  be  under  water  for  two  or 
three  weeks  in  succession, 

"  It  is  quite  idle  and  absurd,"  said 
one,  "  to  say  that  the  present  schemes 
can  ever  be  carried  into  execution, 
under  any  circiunstances,  or  in  any 
way."  "Whenever,"  said  another, 
with  the  authority  of  an  oracle, 
"Providence  in  Lancashire  is  pleased 
to  send  rain  or  a  little  mizzling  weath- 
er, expeditious  it  cannot  be."  A  third 
gave  it  as  Ma  opinion,  that  "  no  engine 
could  go  in  the  night  time,  because," 
he  added,  more  scripturally  than  perti- 
nently, "  the  night  time  is  a  period 
when  no  man  can  work  1 " 

The  public  benefits  of  a  railroad  were 
put  in  disparaging  competition  with 
the  annoyance  which  an  individual 
would  receive  from  the  smoke  of  the 
engines  coming  within  two  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  of  his  house,  and  it  was 
pathetically  asked,  "Can  anything 
compensate  for  this  ? "  Gentlemen 
objected  because  it  would  injure  their 
prospects,  and  land-owners  because  it 
would  injure  their  pockets !  Of  Mr. 
Stephenson  it  was  declared,  "  he  makes 
schemes  without  seeing  the  difficul- 
ties." "  Upon  this  shuffling  evidence, 
we  are  called  to  pass  the  bill."  "  It 
is  impossible  to  hold  this  changing 
Proteus  in  any  knot  whatsoever."  "  It 
is  the  greatest  draught  upon  human 
credulity  ever  heard  of." 

"  There  is  nothing,"  said  one,  "  but 
long  sedgy  grass  to  prevent  the  train 
from  sinking  into  the  shades  of  eternal 
night."  Another  appealed  to  the  pock- 
et:  "If  this  bill  succeeds,  by  the  time 
railroads  are  set  a-going,  the  poor, 
gulled  subscribers  will  have  lost  all 
their  money ;  and,  instead  of  locomo- 
tive engines,  they  must  have  recourse 
to  horses  or  asses,  not  meaning  to  say 
which."    Numberless  were  the  sneers 


at  the  idea  of  engines  galloping  as 
fast  as  five  miles  an  hour.  One  sapient 
gentleman  thought,  however,  that  the 
trains  might  go  at  four  and  one-half 
mUes  in  fine  weather,  but  not  more  than 
two  and  one-half  in  wet. 

"  When  we  set  out  with  the  original 
prospectus,"  was  the  remark  of  the 
counsel,  "  we  were  to  gallop — I  know 
not  at  what  rate.  I  believe  it  was 
twelve  miles  an  hour,  with  the  aid  of 
a  devil  in  the  form  of  a  locomotive, 
sitting  as  postilion  on  the  fore  house, 
and  an  honorable  member  sitting  behind 
him  to  stir  up  the  fire,  and  keep  it  up 
at  full  speed.  I  will  show  they  cannot 
go  six.  I  may  be  able  to  show  we  shall 
keep  up  with  them  by  the  canal." 
"  Thus,  sir,  I  prove  that  locomotive 
engines  cannot  move  at  more  than  four 
and  a-quarter  miles  an  hour;  and  I 
will  show  the  scheme  to  be  bottomed 
on  deception  and  fallacy." 


Lady  SMp-xaaster. 

That  Irish  ladies  are  '  smart,'  abun- 
dant evidence  might  be  forthcoming,  if 
necessary.  But  the  following  suigle  iiv 
stance  will  do  much  to  establish  the 
general  assertion.  Amongst  the  fleet 
lately  wind-bound  in  Lamlash,  not  the 
least,  but  perhaps  the  greatest  wonder, 
was  the  good  old  brig  Cleotus,  of  Salt- 
coats, which  for  more  than  twenty  years 
has  been  commanded  by  an  heroic  and 
exceedingly  clever  lady,  Miss  Betsey  Mil- 
ler, daughter  of  Mr.  W.  Miller,  ship- 
owner and  wood  dealer  of  that  town. 
He  was  concerned  with  several  vessels, 
both  in  the  American  and  coasting  trade. 
Miss  Betsey,  before  she  went  to  sea, 
acted  as  "  ship's  husband  "  to  her  fath- 
er, and  seeing  how  the  captains  in  many 
cases  behaved,  her  romantic  and  ad- 
venturous spirit  impelled  her  to  go  to 
sea  herself.  Her  father  gratified  her 
caprice,  and  gave  her  the  command  of 
the  Cleotus,  which  she  holds  to  the 
present  day ;  and  she  has  weathered  the 
storms  of  the  deep  when  many  comman- 


364 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


ders  of  the  other  sex  have  been  driven 
on  the  rocks.  The  Cleotus  is  well 
known  in  the  ports  of  Belfast,  Dublin, 
Cork,  etc. 


liucky  and  Unlucky  Names  of  Ships, 
and  Sailing:  Days. 

That  there  is  ill  omen  as  well  as  bad 
luck  attending  vessels  having  certain 
names  has  long  been  believed  by  many, 
and  curious  instances  are  cited  to  prove 
that  it  is  not  mere  superstition.  Among 
the  memorable  in  this  respect  is  the 
bark  Raleigh,  fitted  out  and  called  af- 
ter his  family  name  by  the  great  Sir  Wal- 
ter, and  intended  to  assist  his  half 
brother,  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert,  in  his 
North  American  researches.  This  ves- 
sel sailed  with  Sir  Humphrey,  and,  we 
are  told  in  the  sad  record  of  his  fate,  ap- 
peared to  predict  the  fatal  termination 
of  the  expedition  by  returning  in  less 
than  a  week,  through  a  contagious  dis- 
temper which  seized  on  the  ship's  crew. 
She  was  lost  on  a  similar  expedition  to 
the  one  which  hastened  Sir  Walter's  sad 
doom.  So  of  the  Amazon,  and  Birken- 
head, which  sailed  on  Friday,  and  were 
lost  so  disastrously. 

An  attempt  was  once  made  to 
prove,  once  for  all,  that  Friday  was 
not  the  unlucky  day  poor  Jack  always 
fancied  it  to  be.  A  ship  was  built  with 
such  an  intention  some  years  ago ;  she 
was  named  Friday,  was  launched  on  Fri- 
day, commanded  by  a  captain  whose 
name  was  Friday,  sailed  on  a  Friday, 
which  no  ship  does  if  it  can  convenient- 
ly be  helped,  and  was  never — heard  of 
afterward!  But  against  all  this,  and 
other  similar  instances,  must  be  placed 
the  fact  that  vessels  with  even  the  luck- 
iest names,  have,  in  innumerable  cases, 
perished,  and  that  for  each  and  every 
day  of  the  week  alike  there  is  the  fruit- 
ful record  of  mischance  and  disaster. 

Columbus  sailed  on  his  great  voy- 
age of  discovery,  on  Friday,  August 
2l8t.  On  Friday,  October  13th,  1492, 
he  made  his  first  discovery  of  land ;  on 
Friday,  January  4th,  1493,  he  sailed  on 


his  return  to  Spain,  which  if  he  had 
not  reached  in  safety,  the  happy  result 
would  never  have  been  known  ;  on  Fri- 
day, March  15th,  1493,  he  arrived  at 
Palos  in  safety ;  on  Friday,  November 
22d,  1493,  he  arrived  at  Hispaniola,  on 
his  second  voyage  to  America,  and  on 
Friday,  he,  though  unknown  to  him- 
self, discovered  the  continent  of  Amer- 
ica. The  Mayflower,  with  the  pilgrims, 
made  the  harbor  of  Provincetown 
on  Friday,  November  10th,  1620.  Sure- 
ly, in  a  maritime  and  commercial  sense, 
such  facts  send  Friday  up  to  a  premium, 
and  ought  to  disarm  seamen  of  their  ill- 
starred  theory  of  that  day. 


liocomotion  and  Amaleramation. 

Passenger  :  "  What's  the  matter, 
conductor  ? 

Conductor  (with  accustomed  pres- 
ence of  mind)  :  "  Oh,  nothing  partic- 
ular, sir.  We've  only  been  run  into  by 
an  excursion  train  !  " 

Passenger  :  "  But,  good  gracious ! 
there's  a  train  just  behind  us,  isn't 
there  ? " 

Conductor  :  "  Well,  yes,  sir !  But  a 
boy  has  gone  down  the  line  with  a  sig- 
nal, and  it's  very  likely  they'll  see  it ! " 


New  Rules  for  Railways. 

Some  new  regulations,  recently  pro- 
posed for  the  benefit  of  all  concerned, 
have  found  their  way  into  print,  and 
are  now  being  seriously  considered  by 
the  various  railways.  A  few  are  given 
below. 

No  stoppage  at  a  railway  station  is 
to  exceed  half  an  hour. 

No  railway  dividend  is  to  exceed  one 
hundred  per  cent,  and  no  bonus  to  be 
divided  oftener  than  once  a  month,  oth- 
erwise shareholders  shall  have  a  right 
to  throw  up  their  certificates. 

Lectures  and  dramatic  representa- 
tions are  to  be  given  at  the  stations  to 
entertain  the  passengers  when  they  are 
detained  beyond  the  limit  above  sped- 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


365 


fied,  and  payment  of  one  shilling  an 
hour  is  to  be  made  to  every  laboring  man 
for  every  hour  of  such  detention. 

Every  tunnel  must  be  illuminated 
with  one  candle  at  least,  except  during 
the  season  of  fireflies,  when  it  may  be 
dispensed  with. 

A  magistrate  is  to  be  in  attendance 
at  every  station  to  grant  summonses,  on 
complaint,  against  the  directors ;  and 
all  law  expenses  incurred  are  to  be  paid 
by  the  Company. 

Never  less  than  one  minute  is  to  be  al- 
lowed for  dinner  or  refreshment. 

One  director  must  always  travel 
with  every  train,  either  in  one  of  the 
cars  or  in  front  of  the  engine — he  hav- 
ing the  liberty  to  choose. 

Hospitals  are  to  be  built  at  every 
terminus  and  a  surgeon  to  be  in  atten- 
dance at  every  station. 

All  the  fines  and  damages  levied  upon 
a  railway  are  to  be  paid  into  a  fund  for 
building  a  series  of  almshouses,  for  the 
maintenance  of  indigent  persons  muti- 
lated from  day  to  day  by  accidents  on 
the  railways. 

There  must  be  some  communication 
between  every  car  and  the  conductor, 
either  by  a  bell,  or  a  speaking  tube,  or 
a  portable  electric  telegraph,  so  that 
the  passengers  may  have  some  means 
of  giving  information  when  their  car  is 
off  the  track,  or  falling  over  an  embank- 
ment, or  a  maniac  has  broken  loose,  or 
a  robbery  by  chloroform  has  taken  place. 


Yankee  Calcalation  of  Bailroad  Speed. 

"  Well,  it's  curous  how  we  du  git 
over  the  ground  !  Why,  the  trees  all 
look  as  if  they  was  a-dancin'  a  jig  to 
double-quick  time.  I  kin  recollect  ten 
or  twelve  years  ago,  that  if  I  started 
from  Bosting  on  a  Wednesday,  I  cud 
git  in  Filedelphy  on  the  next  Saturday, 
makin'  just  three  days.  Now  I  kin  git 
from  Bosting  to  Filedelphy  in  one  day ; 
and  I've  been  cal'latin'  that  if  the  pow- 
er of  steam  increases  for  the  next  ten 
years  as  it  has  been  doin'  for  the  last 


ten  years,  I'd  be  in  Filedelphy  jist  two 
days  before  I  started  from  Bosting !  " 


Bailroad  Damagres :  The  Tables  Turned. 

A  CERTAIN  community  somewhere  in 
Texas  had  made  it  a  pretty  frequent 
practice  to  get  all  the  money  they  could 
from  the  railroad  corporation  there- 
about, by  allowing  their  cattle  to  get 
upon  the  track  and  obtaining  damages 
when  they  were  killed  by  the  locomo- 
tive. At  last,  however,  a  law  with 
due  penalties  was  enacted,  against  the 
roaming  of  cattle  upon  the  track  of 
said  road. 

A  new  president  of  this  corporation, 
Mr.  Blank,  was  chosen,  whose  manage- 
ment proved  him  to  be  considerably 
ahead  of  some  with  whom  he  was  soon 
called  to  deal.  When  Mr.  Blank  as- 
sumed the  presidential  control,  it  was 
in  a  dark  day  indeed.  Acres  of  wood- 
land, fields  of  grain,  houses  and  barns 
had  been  consumed  by  the  locomotive 
sparks,  and  cattle  without  number  had 
been  killed  on  the  track.  Demands 
against  the  company  and  impending 
law  suits  were  more  numerous  than 
agreeable. 

One  day  a  man  made  his  appearance 
at  Mr.  Blank's  oflSce.  He  was  the  cham- 
pion of  his  neighborhood  in  this  kind 
of  business,  and  had  come  down  to  en- 
force payment  for  a  valuable  pair  of 
oxen,  suddenly  converted  into  jerked 
beef  by  the  iron  horse.  Our  claimant 
entered  the  office  as  bold  as  a  lion. 

"^I  want  payment  for  my  cattle  you 
killed  last  Saturday,"  said  he. 

"  Your  cattle  !  "  inquired  Mr.  Blank ; 
"were  those  your  cattle  that  were 
kUled  ?  " 

"  Mighty  apt  to  be,"  was  the  answer, 
"  and  I  want  two  hundred  for  them." 

"And  /,"  said  Mr.  Blank,  "want 
proof.  You  must  make  an  affidavit  of 
the  particulars,  and  then  we  will  come 
to  a  settlement." 

Right  willingly  did  the  claimant  as- 
sent;   but  when  the  instrument  was 


366 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


properly  drawn  up,  signed,  and  authen- 
ticated, Mr.  Blank  turned  to  him  with — 

"  Now,  sir,  I  want  two  hundred  dol- 
lars from  jfow." 

"  From  me  ? "  exclaimed  the  amazed 
rustic. 

"  Yes,  sir,  from  you,''^  reiterated  the 
president.  "  Here  I  have  proof,  under 
your  own  hand,  that  your  cattle  were, 
contrary  to  law,  upon  the  track,  and 
thereby  our  engine  was  damaged  to  the 
extent  of  two  hundred  dollars.  Are 
you  prepared  to  settle  the  aflfair  amica- 
bly, or  must  I  proceed  legally  ?  " 

The  applicant  spoke  no  word,  but 
rushed  open-mouthed  from  the  office, 
sought  his  wagon,  and  upon  reaching 
his  house  advised  his  friends  generally 
to  pocket  their  grievances,  or  worse 
would  come  of  it.  From  that  day  the 
demands  upon  the  road  were  few  in- 
deed. 


Telegraphing:  aguinst  Time. 

An  incident  occurred  at  Niagara 
Falls  during  the  Prince  of  Wales'  stay, 
which  illustrates  some  of  the  fortuities 
of  telegraphic  operating,  and  which 
has  been  frequently,  but — excepting  by 
a  writer  in  Harper's  Magazine — never 
correctly  reported ;  so  it  is  stated. 

The  special  reporter  of  a  New  York 
journal  had  ordered  the  telegraph  line 
to  be  kept  open,  one  Sunday  evening, 
when  the  offices  were  usually  closed, 
and  had  engaged  to  pay  the  operators 
liberally  for  their  extra  work.  Before 
he  had  finished  telegraphing  his  usual 
reports,  along  came  the  reporter  of  an- 
other New  York  journal,  who,  having 
obtained  some  exclusive  news,  and  find- 
ing the  line  in  fine  working  order,  as- 
serted his  right  to  have  his  despatches 
transmitted  to  New  York  also.  Report- 
er the  first  resisted.  Reporter  the 
second  insisted.  Reporter  the  first  ap- 
pealed to  the  telegraph  operators,  and 
after  a  great  deal  of  conversation  be- 
tween the  Niagara  and  Rochester  offi- 
ces, the  operator  decided  that  both  re- 


ports must  be  telegraphed.  Reporter 
the  second  was  calmly  triumphant,  and 
coolly  prepared  his  notes.  Reporter  the 
first  attempted  to  bribe  the  operators, 
and  finding  them  incorruptible,  began 
a  long  and  desultory  argument  over  the 
wires,  in  order  to  kill  time  and  crowd 
out  his  opponent.  Reporter  the  second, 
therefore,  obtained  an  interview  with 
the  Hon.  John  Rose,  the  Premier  of 
Canada,  who  sent  down  a  message  to 
the  operators  that  he  was,  or  had  been, 
President,  Vice-President,  or  Director 
— ^he  really  could  not  tell  which — of 
the  Telegraph  Company,  and  that  by 
virtue  of  his  authority,  he  ordered  both 
despatches  to  be  telegraphed  immedi- 
ately. This  order  added  fuel  to  the 
fire  of  indignation  which  glowed  in  the 
bosom  of  Reporter  the  first.  A  Cana- 
dian official  dictate  to  an  American  re- 
porter ?  Never !  Meanwhile  the  mo- 
ments slipped  hurriedly  away,  and  the 
hour  was  approaching  when  it  would 
be  useless  to  attempt  to  send  a  despatch 
to  New  York  in  time  for  publication  in 
the  morning  papers.  Observing  this. 
Reporter  the  first  suddenly  recovered 
his  self-control,  and  referred  all  the 
parties  concerned  to  the  standard  rule 
of  the  Telegraph  Company,  that  "  des- 
patches must  be  sent  in  the  order  in 
which  they  were  received,  and  that  one 
despatch  must  be  finished  before  an- 
other could  be  transmitted."  This  rule 
was  acknowledged  to  be  telegraphic 
law.  Reporter  the  first  then  claimed 
priority  for  his  report.  This  point  was 
also  conceded.  The  reporter  then  elo- 
quently but  briefly  informed  the  by- 
standers that  they  might  as  well  go  to 
bed,  as  his  report  could  never  be  con- 
cluded while  a  chance  of  a  despatch 
reaching  New  York  that  night  remain- 
ed to  his  competitor.  Immediately  he 
set  to  work  to  telegraph  against  time. 
His  original  report  having  been  de- 
spatched, he  jotted  down  every  item 
worth  sending,  and  ransacked  his  brains 
for  any  little  incident  of  the  Prince's 
doings  which  might  possibly  have  been 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT   AND   COMMUNICATION. 


367 


forgotten.  His  pencil  flew  over  the 
paper  like  lightning.  Click — click — 
click — the  operator  hurried  off  page 
after  page  almost  as  rapidly  as  the  re- 
porter could  indite  them.  Reporter 
the  second  stalked  gloomily  up  and 
down  the  oflace,  despairing,  but  uncon- 
quered.  To  him  the  minute-hand  of  the 
clock  moved  with  terrible  swiftness. 
To  Reporter  the  first  the  moments 
seemed  shod  with  lead.  Every  item 
being  exhausted,  a  description  of  Niag- 
ara FaUs,  carefully  reserved  to  be  sent 
by  mail,  was  handed  to  the  operator 
and  flashed  over  the  line  at  a  cost  of 
six  or  eight  cents  a  word.  This  done, 
there  was  a  moment's  pause.  Reporter 
the  first  reflected.  Reporter  the  second 
breathed  more  freely,  and  even  ven- 
tured to  smile  hopefully,  and  nervously 
finger  his  detained  despatches.'  Alas  ! 
Reporter  the  first  again  writes — this 
time  a  note  to  the  Rochester  operator : 
"  Which  would  you  prefer  to  telegraph, 
a  chapter  of  the  Bible  or  a  chapter  of 
Claude  Duval,  the  Highwayman  ?  These 
are  the  only  two  books  I  can  find  in 
the  hotel."  The  lightning  flashes  off 
with  the  query,  and  returns  with  the 
answer :  "  It  is  quite  immaterial  which 
you  send."  The  Reporter  seizes  the 
Bible,  transcribes  the  first  chapter  of 
Matthew,  with  all  its  hard  genealogi- 
cal names,  adds  this  to  his  previous 
despatches,  tacks  portions  of  the  twen- 
ty-first chapter  of  Revelation — describ- 
ing the  various  precious  stones — to  the 
incongruous  report,  hands  it  aU  to  the 
operator,  sends  his  blessing  and  an  in- 
junction to  be  careful  of  the  spelling 
to  the  Rochester  oflSce,  and  gleefully 
awaits  the  result  with  his  eyes  on  the 
clock.  Before  this  scriptural  news  is 
fully  transmitted,  the  hour  arrived  when 
no  more  telegrams  could  be  sent.  Re- 
porter the  first  retired  in  glory ;  but 
although  his  telegrams  reached  New 
York  safely,  the  Biblical  portions  were 
unfortunately  never  published.  Re- 
porter the  second  telegraphed  his  news 
the  next  morning,  at  the  same  time 


good-naturedly  acknowledging  his  de- 
feat. 


Teleerraphic  Capers. 

On  a  certain  occasion,  says  a  London 
journal,  the  French  telegraph  made  the 
following  announcement : 

"  Abd-el-Kader  has  been  taken  " — 
but  it  was  mentioned  that  a  fog  envel- 
oped the  remainder  of  the  sentence  in 
obscurity.  The  excitement,  however,  in 
the  money  market  was  at  fever  height,  at 
the  supposed  capture  of  that  adroit  en- 
emy, and  the  funds  rose  tremendously. 

The  following  day,  the  sentence  be- 
ing completed,  the  intelligence  ran 
thus: 

"  Abd-el-Kader  has  been  taken  with 
a  dreadful  cold  in  his  head." 

The  funds  fell,  but  the  coup — ^which 
was  worthy  of  a  Rothschild — had  been 
sufficiently  successful  for  those  who 
made  the  telegraph  play  into  the  hands 
of  their  agents  at  the  Bourse.  A  fog  in 
Paris  is  frequently  a  great  windfall  in 
a  monetary  and  commercial  point  of 
view. 


Guarding:  the  Track. 

The  Hon.  Erastus  Coming,  President 
of  the  New  York  Central  Railway,  not- 
withstanding his  remarkable  activity, 
has  the  misfortune  to  be  lame.  He 
was  one  day  hobbling  over  the  rail- 
road track  at  Albany,  when  an  Irish- 
man who  was  placed  to  guard  the 
track,  sang  out,  with  marked  Celtic 
accent,  "  Will  ye  leave  the  track  ? " 
Mr.  Corning  smiled  inwardly  and  stum- 
bled on,  when  the  Irishman  again  cried, 
"  Begone,  ye  stumbling  high-binder,  or 
the  11.30  Express  will  be  fominst  ye, 
and  Mister  Coming  will  have  to  pay 
for  ye  the  full  price  of  a  well  man  with 
two  legs.  Begone  !  sare  !  "  This  was 
too  much  for  "  Old  Central ;  "  he  yield- 
ed the  track  for  the  11.30  Express,  and 
sent  a  reward  and  commendation  to 
the  faithful  watchman,  who  had  never 


368 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


once  suspected  the  name  or  position  of 
that  "  stumbling  high-binder." 


A  Deep  Desigm. 

A  PLAN  is  about  to  be  carried  out  by 
some  enterprising  London  capitalists 
for  passing  an  electric  telegraph  under 
the  streets  of  that  city.  That  walls  Tiave 
ears  has  been  heard  by  all ;  but  this  is 
a  plain  matter-of-fact  sort  of  scheme  for 
giving  tongues  to  the  streets,  which  will 
enable  them  to  rival  the  celebrated 
stones  that  were  nearly  rising  up  to 
remonstrate,  in  a  certain  exigency,  to 
say  nothing  of  those  stones  of  the  poet, 
in  which  he  assures  us  there  are  ser- 
mons. It  is  presumed  that  an  under- 
tone will  be  best  adapted  to  this  sub- 
terranean language. 

It  has  been  decided  that  this  tele- 
graph, when  completed,  shall  be  let 
out  to  the  whole  public  at  so  much  a 
message.  This  plan  will  do  very  well, 
unless  the  whole  population  wants,  as 
usual,  to  talk  at  once,  when  the  effect 
would  be  most  extraordinary.  Nor  is 
any  statement  made,  as  yet,  to  prevent 
the  wrong  people  from  receiving  the 
messages  that  are  thus  sent  by  the  tele- 
graph. It  would  be  very  awkward  if 
a  somewhat  general  observation  should 
arrive  at  a  station,  for  there  would  be 
a  difficulty  in  finding  an  owner  for 

remark  of  such  a  common-place 
character. 

The  project  seems  a  good  one,  but  it 
will  require  much  modification  to  ren- 
der it  effectual.  One  regulation  pro- 
vides that  ladies  who  avail  themselves 
of  the  telegraph  shall  be  charged  by 
the  length  of  the  message,  an  immense 
revenue  being  calculated  from  this 
source  alone ;  in  order,  however,  that 
all  may  share  the  benefits  of  such  an 
enterprise,  no  one  female  is  to  be  al- 
lowed to  monopolize  the  use  of  the 
subterranean  tongue  for  a  longer  time 
at  once  than  thirteen  hours. 


Unsociable  Travelling-  Companion. 

A  RABE  incident  occurred  in  an  Eng- 
lish stage-coach,  on  a  certain  occasion, 
before  railroads  came  into  vogue.  Two 
passengers,  one  a  merchant,  set  out 
from  a  London  inn  early  on  a  Decem- 
ber morning.  It  was  dark  as  pitch ; 
and  one  of  them,  not  being  sleepy,  and 
wishing  for  a  little  conversation,  en- 
deavored, in  the  usual  travelling  mode, 
to  stimulate  his  compaijion  to  discourse. 
"  A  very  dark  morn,  sir.  Shocking 
cold  weather  for  travelling !  Slow 
going  in  the  heavy  roads,  sir."  None 
of  these  very  civil  observations  pro- 
ducing a  word  in  response,  the  sociable 
merchant  made  one  more  effort.  He 
stretched  out  his  hand  and  feeling  the 
other's  habit,  exclaimed,  "  What  a  very 
comfortable  coat,  sir,  you  have  got  to 
travel  in  !  "  No  answer  was  made,  and 
the  merchant,  fatigued  and  disgusted, 
fell  into  a  sound  nap,  nor  awoke  imtil 
the  brightest  rays  of  a  winter's  sun  ac- 
counted to  him  for  the  taciturnity  of 
his  comrade,  by  presenting  to  his  as- 
tonished view  a  huge  bear  (luckily  for 
him  muzzled  and  confined)  in  a  sitting 

posture. 

— • — 

Decoration  of  Bailroad  Depots. 

At  one  of  our  railway  stations,  a  pas- 
senger on  looking  round  saw  the  bill 
announcing  the  arrival  and  departure 
of  the  train,  and  by  its  side  was  posted 
— with  most  innocent  candor  on  the 
part  of  the  directors — another  bill,  ad- 
vising him,  in  the  most  alluring  terms, 
to  insure  his  life.  Of  course  the  two 
things  thus  placed  in  juxtaposition,  put 
him  in  a  reflecting  mood. 

Railway  companies  might  improve 
on  this  system  of  starting  trains  of  se- 
rious thought.  They  should  illuminate 
the  walls  of  their  waiting-rooms  with 
moral  sentences,  expressive  of  the  un- 
certainty of  human  existence,  such  as 
Memento  Mori,  Mors  Janua  Vitse,  &c. ; 
which,  executed  in  appropriate  char- 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


369 


acters,  might  be  made  to  have  a  pic- 
turesque and  pleasing,  as  well  as  profit- 
able eflFect.  The  intermixture  with 
these  legends,  of  tombstone  cherubs, 
skulls,  and  femoral  bones,  and  views  in 
cemeteries  well  painted,  would  be  very 
suitable ;  and  to  these  a»thetic  decora- 
tions might  be  added  the  figure  of  old 
Time  with  his  scythe  and  hourglass. 
It  may  be  mentioned,  as  a  matter  not 
unrelated  to  these  suggestions,  that 
some  of  the  newspapers  have  adopted 
the  plan  of  inserting  their  "Railway 
Intelligence  "  next  to  the  "  Obituary." 


Punch's  Own  Railway. 

This  snug  little  suburban  line  (says 
its  proprietor)  occasionally  makes  a 
mild  demand  on  public  attention,  by  a 
sort  of  popgun-like  proceeding,  known 
as  the  issuing  of  its  annual  report, 
which  is  usually  accompanied  with  a 
very  little  smoke,  and  somewhat  less 
fire.  Everything  is  on  the  smallest 
possible  scale ;  and  the  rolling  stock 
includes  a  garden  roller,  which  is  kept 
for  the  purpose  of  rolling  the  gravel 
walks  by  the  side  of  those  cabbage 
beds  which  form  the  vegetable  wealth 
of  the  company.  The  property  of  the 
railway  is  understood  to  have  some- 
what increased ;  but  there  has  been  a 
loss  of  one  engine  and  two  buffers,  the 
former  being  the  moral  engine  which 
the  company  once  possessed  in  the  sup- 
port of  a  now  apathetic  press ;  and  the 
latter  consisting  of  two  old  buflPers  who 
have  got  better  places,  after  having 
been  for  some  years  in  the  service  of 
the  line  as  gardeners. 

The  balance  at  the  banker's  had  been 
augmented  by  a  few  pounds,  and  the 
goods  traffic  is  nearly  eight  ounces 
more  this  year  than  it  was  last — an  in- 
crease which,  considering  the  level  of 
former  times,  may  be  considered  fever- 
ish. Of  coal,  there  is  a  skuttle  more  in 
the  company's  cellars  than  there  was 
last  year;  and  the  directors  propose 
that  this  surplus  shall  not  be  disturbed, 
24 


but  that  it  shall  be  added  to  the  "  rest," 
and  carried  over  to  the  credit— the 
very  great  credit,  of  the  company. 

The  engineer  of  the  line  has  inspect- 
ed the  boilers,  and  reports  that  "  the 
concern  is  not  yet  out  of  hot  water,  nor 
likely  to  be  for  some  time  to  come," — 
nor  have  the  law  proceedings  been 
brought  to  a  termination.  Thanks 
were  voted  to  the  chairman,  who  had 
lent  a  Bath  chair  for  a  visit  of  the  resi- 
dent director  to  the  terminus. 


Stagre  Coach  Experience  of  two  Mer- 
chants. 

One  of  the  very  pleasantest  episodes 
to  be  found  in  the  range  of  mercantile 
travelling  experience,  is  that  of  the  in- 
terview between  Vincent  Nolte,  the 
great  merchant  of  two  hemispheres, 
and  John  McNeil,  a  Liverpool  mer- 
chant of  celebrity.  It  is  one  of  those 
"happenings"  which  do  not  need  to 
be  read  of  more  than  once,  as  one  read- 
ing will  serve  the  memory  ever  after. 
It  is  almost  worth  the  full  price  of  Nol- 
te's  Autobiography,  an  admirable  trans- 
lation of  which,  from  the  German,  has 
been  published  in  this  country.  Mr. 
Nolte  says : 

I  took  a  place,  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  in  the  Birmingham  coach,  the 
best  conveyance  then  between  Liver- 
pool and  London.  It  was  a  troubled, 
misty,  unpleasant  morning.  In  the  cor- 
ner of  the  coach  opposite  me,  wrapped 
in  his  cloak,  sat  a  gloomy  looking  per- 
son, besides  myself  the  only  passenger. 
More  than  two  hours  elapsed  before  the 
spirit  moved  us  to  any  conversation. 
At  length  my  companion  roused  him- 
self, and  brought  forward  the  subject 
which  always  opens  a  conversation  in 
England — the  weather. 

"  We  have  a  very  nasty,  disagreeable 
day  before  us,  I  fear,"  he  remarked 

Whereupon  I  asked  him  if  he  were 
going  all  the  way  to  London. 

"  No,  no,"  he  answered,  "  I  will  get 
out  at  a  pottery  near  Wolverhampton, 
where  I  have  to  buy  some  hundred 


370 


COMMERCIAL  AND   BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


baskets  of  crockery  for  my  sliip,  the 
'Peter  Ellis.'" 

"  In  order  to  send  it  to  New  Orleans, 
I  suppose,"  said  I. 

"  Certainly,"  he  said,  "  but  I  beg 
your  pardon,  how  did  you  know  that  ? " 

"  I  did  not  know  it,"  I  replied,  "  I 
only  guessed  it.  I  have  seen  the  ship 
several  times  in  New  Orleans.  She  was 
consigned  to  my  Mends,  Denistoim, 
Hill  &  Co." 

*'  Oh,  ho,"  said  he,  "  so  you  have 
been  in  New  Orleans." 

"  Very  often,"  said  I. 

"  How  is  the  credit  of  the  firm  ? " 
was  his  next  question. 

"  Admirable,"  said  I ;  "  Mr.  Hill  is  a 
man  much  esteemed  and  beloved." 

"  So  I  have  always  thought,"  he  re- 
plied. 

"  Those  gentlemen,"  I  continued, 
"  very  often  have  ships  to  their  address 
— for  instance,  the  Liverpool  brig  '  The 
Brothers,'  the  ship  '  Mary  Wood,'  and 
others.  The  Liverpool  ship  '  Ottawa,' 
was  in  other  hands  (namely,  in  ours), 
as  well  as  many  others." 

"  You  appear  to  know  our  vessels 
well,"  said  he,  "  and  also  most  of  the 
English  houses  in  New  Orleans." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  I  said ;  "  I  know  nearly 
all  the  houses  of  any  position  there, 
pretty  well." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  my 
companion,  and  then  our  dialogue  con- 
tinued. 

"  Do  you  know  Munro,  Milne  &  Co.  ? 
How  do  they  stand  ?  " 

"Very  well.  They  are  the  estab- 
lished correspondents  of  James  Finley 
&  Co.,  of  Glasgow." 

"  Do  you  know  P.  W.  &  Co.  ?  How 
do  they  stand  ? " 

"  So,  80,  no  general  credit." 

"  Do  you  know  G.,  P.  &  Co.  ? " 

"  G.  is  a  clever  business  man,  and  P. 
is  a  windbag,  who,  however,  has  thrown 
into  the  firm  a  large  capital  inherited 
from  his  aunt." 

*'  The  devil ! "  quoth  my  interlocu- 
tor; "you  appear  to  know  them  all. 


You  must  have  lived  some  years  in  New 
Orleans." 

"  Yes,  several." 

"  Do  you  know  Vincent  Nolte  ?  " 

"  As  well  as  he  knows  himself." 

"  What  sort  of  a  man  is  he  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  I, "  he  has  many  friends, 
and  perhaps  quite  as  many  foes ;  take 
him  all  in  all,  however,  I  believe  he  is 
a  good  sort  of  a  fellow,  with  whom 
folks  like  to  deal." 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  our  captains  like 
him  very  much.  He  was  prompt  and 
expeditious,  and  when  he  had  freight- 
ed a  vessel,  the  goods  came  down  as 
fast  as  they  could  be  received  on  board." 

"  I  believe,"  said  I,  "  that  this  praise 
is  not  undeserved.  It  was  always  his 
custom  to  do  qmckly  whatever  he  un- 
dertook." 

Thereupon  our  conversation  ended ; 
and  in  half  an  hour  the  coach  stopped 
before  a  large  pottery  belonging  to 
Baker,  Bourne  &  Baker.  As  he  got 
out,  my  companion  gave  me  his  card — 
"  John  McNeil,  Liverpool,"  saying : 

"  I  have  found  so  much  pleasure  in 
your  conversation,  that  you  must  prom- 
ise to  pay  me  a  visit  when  you  return 
to  Liverpool.  I  will  present  you  to  my 
two  daughters,  and  we  will  all  receive 
you  with  pleasure." 

I  was  of  course  obliged  to  give  him 
my  card  in  exchange.  He  glanced  at 
it  twice,  and  in  a  doubtful  sort  of  way 
read  it  over. 

"  Vincent  N-o-ble  !  " 

"No,  sir,"  I  said;  "Vincent  NoUe, 
the  very  gentleman  you  were  inquiring 
about." 

"  Ah  1  so,  so,"  he  said.  "  Well,  sir, 
glad  to  have  had  a  sight  of  you.  Do 
not  fail  to  call  when  you  come  to  Liv- 
erpool again.    Parewell,  sir ! " 

And  so  the  coach  rolled  on. 


An  Interesting  Consigmment. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  consign- 
ments— at  least  in  an  historical  point 
of  view — of  which  there  is  any  record. 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


371 


is  that  which  was  received  from  Lon- 
don, by  Mr.  Jacob  Barker,  of  New 
York,  viz.,  the  first  steam  engine  ever 
in  successful  operation  for  propelling 
vessels.  It  was  made  by  Messrs.  Bol- 
ton and  Watts,  celebrated  for  construct- 
ing steam  machinery  in  that  day.  Af- 
ter its  arrival  it  remained#n  Mr.  Bar- 
ker's store  in  South  street  many  months 
before  Mr.  Fulton  could  raise  the  funds 
to  pay  for  it.  This  engine  was  placed 
on  the  first  steamboat  that  navigated 
the  Hudson,  and  Mr.  Barker  thinks 
that  she  ^.ttained  the  speed  of  four 
miles  an  hour.  Little  did  he  then 
think  that  this  discovery  of  the  im- 
mortal Fulton  would  in  less  than  half 
a  century  regulate  the  commerce  of  the 
whole  world,  saving  time  and  shorten- 
ing space  to  such  a  degree  that  to  be 
deprived  of  its  use  would  be  univer- 
sally considered  a  calamity  of  the  first 

magnitude. 

— » 

SoLuelching'  a  Director's  Impertinence. 

The  plenary  indulgence  conceded  to 
Mr.  Hudson,  the  English  railway  mon- 
arch, by  which  his  will  was  made  law 
— all  complaints  of  those  who  natural- 
ly esteemed  themselves  not  fairly  dealt 
with  in  various  operations  being  silenc- 
ed by  his  mere  beck — cannot  be  better 
comprehended  than  in  an  anecdote  of 
Mr.  H.  in  his  palmy  days ;  being  a  cir- 
cumstance which  occurred  at  the  board 
meeting  of  a  certain  line.  The  honor- 
able gentleman  had  allotted  to  himself 
six  hundred  shares,  and  to  another 
member  of  the  board,  two  hundred. 
These  shares  having  risen  to  five 
pounds  premium,  the  latter  gentle- 
man thought  he  ought  to  have  a  lar- 
ger number,  and  accordingly  intimated 
his  opinion  to  Mr.  Hudson.     "  I  have 

been  accustomed,  Mr. ,"  replied  the 

dictator,  "to  have  gentlemen  with 
whom  I  am  associated,  satisfied  with 
my  arrangements ;  and  if  you  are  not, 
I'll  retire  and  leave  the  affairs  in  your 
custody,  which  I  dare  say  you'll  man- 


age better  than  I  do,  as  1  have  so  much 
other  business  on  my  hands."  "  Oh, 
certainly  not ;  by  no  means,  Mr.  Hud- 
son," bowingly  responded  the  crest-fal- 
len director ;  "  1  am  sure  all  you  do  is 
right,  and  I  am  quite  satisfied  with 
your  arrangement."  It  is  pretty  cer- 
tain that  no  further  complaint  was 
made  by  any  of  George's  colleagues  at 
that  board ! 


Bare  Fassenger  in  an  Omnibus. 

John  McDonogh,  of  New  Orleans, 
was  one  of  those  who  rarely  spent  ten- 
Iience  for  an  omnibus  ride,  his  habit 
being  to  economize  to  the  last  extremi- 
ty in  these  minor  as  well  as  in  larger 
things.  He  was  an  untiring  pedestrian, 
being  ever  on  foot,  on  some  errand  per- 
taining to  his  vast  money  concern.  Sud- 
denly, one  day,  while  pursuing  so  eager- 
ly his  imaginary  goal,  he  was  seized 
with  faintness  on  the  street.  Other 
men  would  have  taken  a  cab,  and  rid- 
den home,  or  at  least  to  a  physician's ; 
but  when  did  John  McDonogh  turn 
aside  from  business  to  relieve  any  weak- 
ness or  want  ?  He  had  an  important 
document  to  file  in  court.  It  must  be 
done  that  day.  He  is  too  weak  to 
walk.  There  is  the  omnibus  ;  the  fare 
is  only  a  dime — but  that  dime  is  so 
much  taken  from  the  poor,  for  John 
McDonogh  is  only  an  agent  for  the 
poor,  so  appointed  and  called  of  God. 
Such  were  the  reflections,  probably, 
that  passed  through  his  mind  before  he 
could  be  induced  to  perpetrate  this  se- 
rious violation  of  the  settled  rules  of  a 
life — this  single  blot  and  stain  on  a  ca- 
reer of  unbroken  self-abnegation.  With 
a  sigh  he  took  his  seat  in  the  omnibus. 
It  was  his  last  ride. 


First  Ship  at  St.  Fetersburg. 

The  first  ship  which  entered  the  port 
of  St.  Petersburg,  was  a  Dutch  vessel, 
the  saine  in  which  Peter  the  Great  ac- 
quired in  Holland  a  practical  knowl- 


si^ 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


edge  of  seamanship.  She  was  received 
■with  extraordinary  rejoicings  and  fes- 
tivities, and  whatever  she  might  at  any 
future  period  bring  into  the  country 
•was  sacredly  exempted  from  duty. 
This  privilege  she  enjoyed  until  the 
end  of  the  last  century,  when  she  was 
obliged  to  discontinue  her  trips,  be- 
cause it  was  found  impossible  to  patch 
her  up  any  longer  so  as  to  be  seawor- 
thy. The  first  ship  that  arrives  in  May, 
like  the  swallow  proclaiming  the  return 
of  spring,  is  still  greeted  with  imusual 
demonstrations  of  joy,  and  has  various 
favors  granted  her. 


Proposed  Line  from  England  to  China. 

In  consequence  of  the  extreme  diffi- 
culty at  present  experienced  in  making 
the  voyage  to  China  and  India,  togeth- 
er with  the  delay  and  chances  of  ship- 
wreck, it  has  been  proposed  by  gentle- 
men connected  with  the  London  Punch 
— ^under  the  advice  of  an  eminent  en- 
gineer— to  construct  a  railway  direct 
from  that  city  to  the  Celestial  Empire. 

The  plan  suggested  is  the  very  feasi- 
ble one  of  penetrating  the  bowels  of 
the  earth,  through  the  medium  of  a  suit- 
able tunnel  from  London  to  Canton, 
passing  through  the  centre  of  the  globe, 
— thus  obviating  altogether  the  enor- 
mous expense  usually  incurred  in  the 
purchase  of  land,  and  avoiding  the  op- 
position likely  to  Be  encountered  from 
hostile  nations. 

From  the  Report  made  to  the  Com- 
mittee by  Sinko  Shaft,  Esq.,  the  engi- 
neer, who  has  descended  some  of  the 
deepest  wells  and  sewers  in  and  about 
the  metropolis,  and  has  sounded  the 
earth  in  various  places  at  the  outskirts, 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
centre  of  the  globe  consists  of  a  mass  of 
softest  soil,  except  where  intersected  by 
solid  rocks  of  gold  and  silver,  and 
caverns  of  precious  stones ;  and  that, 
from  his  examination,  there  is  no  reason 
whatever  to  believe,  as  some  have  con- 
jectured, that  the  earth  is  a  mere  crust, 


filled  in  the  interior  with  nothing  at  all 
— a  state  of  things  which  would  natu- 
rally have  rendered  the  cutting  of  a  tun- 
nel through  it  an  expedient  of  some 
difficulty.  As  it  is,  however,  the  cut- 
ting will  be  exceedingly  easy,  except 
where  the  masses  of  precious  metals  and 
jewels  inte^ose  an  obstacle ;  but  inas- 
much as  this  material,  when  removed, 
will  be  immensely  valuable,  and,  accor- 
ding to  the  most  moderate  calculations 
of  the  engineer,  will  be  many  hundred 
times  more  than  sufficient  to  cover  the 
entire  expense  of  the  undertaking,  but 
little  fear  need  be  apprehended  upon 
this  point. 

It  is  intended  that  the  terminus  in 
England  shall  be  at  what  is  now  the 
building  known  as  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
London,  which  for  the  purposes  of  this 
line  is  to  undergo  the  necessary  architec- 
tural alterations,  after  permission  has 
been  obtained  from  the  metropolitan 
bishop. 

The  journey  by  this  route  will,  it  is " 
calculated,  be  accomplished  as  soon  as 
the  passengers  get  from  one  terminus  to 
another.  And  as  the  railway  will  pass 
immediately  under  Mount  Vesuvius,  a 
station  will  be  erected  there,  at  which 
trains  will  stop  for  the  purpose  of  tak- 
ing in  coals  and  lava,  or  blacksmiths, 
should  there  be  any  residing  in  those 
parts.  Another  stoppage  will  be  made 
immediately  under  the  Mediterranean, 
with  a  view  of  getting  a  supply  of  wa- 
ter— conveniently  drawn  down  through 
a  pipe  from  the  sea  above. 

As  regards  the  intermediate  traffic  be- 
tween the  two  termini,  there  is,  from 
the  recent  investigations  into  the  sub- 
ject by  the  learned  members  of  the 
University  Nhowhere,  strong  reason  for 
believing  that  the  population  swallow- 
ed up  at  various  periods  by  earth- 
quakes, as  at  Lisbon,  Port  Royal,  etc., 
etc.,  have  only  disappeared  from  the 
surface  of  the  globe  to  colonize  and 
people  the  interior.  Should  this  be 
proved  to  be  the  case  the  most  interest- 
ing results  are  likely  to  follow  upon 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


373 


the  establishment  of  this  undertaking 
— which  indeed  may  be  the  means  at 
once  of  opening  an  immense  market  for 
manufactures  and  a  passage  for  the  in- 
habitants of  the  interior  regions  of  the 
earth  of  the  most  profitable  and  ad- 
vantageous description.  In  addition  to 
this  it  is  confidently  expected  that  most 
of  the  Continental  nations  will  establish 
branch  tunnels  running  into  that  of  the 
parent  Company,  which  will  be  both  a 
most  lucrative  source  of  revenue,  and  be 
the  means  of  opening  an  immense  field  to 
commercial  enterprise. 


Assuming  the  Besponsibility. 

Hudson,  the  railway  king,  knew  well 
how  to  make  steady,  gradual,  and 
permanent  encroachments  in  the  con- 
duct of  those  vast  undertakings  of 
which  he  was  the  body  and  soul,  so  as  to 
compel  others  to  concede  to  him  the 
absolute  influence  necessary  for  that 
free  individual  action  on  which  he  felt 
the  very  existence  of  the  organizations 
he  brought  about,  and  the  success  of 
the  negotiations  into  which  he  entered, 
depended.  He  further  knew  how  to 
make  capital  out  of  the  feelings  of 
reverence  and  admiration  he  excited. 
Having  entered  into  some  arrangements 
for  the  famous  Midland  Company 
which  he  had  not  vouchsafed  to  disclose 
to  the  board  of  directors,  these  gentle- 
man, after  having  vainly  endeavored, 
to  worm  out  the  coveted  secret,  screw- 
ed up  their  courage  one  day  to  demand 
it.  They  accordingly  met  much  earlier 
one  day  than  usual,  and  when  their  supe- 
rior arrived,  they  were  ajl  exceedingly 
quiet. 

"How  now,  gentlemen,"  said  Mr, 
Hudson,  "  has  anything  happened  ? " 

"  Only,"  replied  one,  "  that  we  being 
equally  responsible  with  yourself  for 
what  is  done,  are  desirous  of  know- 
ing the  nature  of  your  future  plans." 

"  You  are,  are  you  ?  "  rejoined  the 
premier ;  "  then  you  will  not  1 "  And 
the  business  of  the  board  proceeded. 


Kothchild's  Omnibtis  Fare. 

There  is  a  good  story  told  of  Baron 
Rothschild,  which  shows  that  it  is  not 
only  money  which"make8  the  mare  go," 
— or  horses  either,  as  in  this  case, — but 
ready  money,  "  unlimited  credit "  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.  On  a 
very  wet  and  disagreeable  day,  the  Bar- 
ron took  a  Parisian  omnibus,  on  his  way 
to  the  Bourse  or  Exchange,  near  which 
the  nabob  of  finance  alighted,  and  was 
going  away  without  paying.  The  dri- 
ver stopped  him,  and  demanded  his  fare. 
Rothschild  felt  in  his  pocket,  but  he 
had  not  a  "  red  cent "  of  change.  The 
driver  was  very  wroth : 

"  What  did  you  get  in  for,  if  you 
could  not  pay  ?  You  must  have  Tcnown 
that  you  had  no  money !  " 

"  I  am  Baron  Rothschild,"  exclaimed 
the  great  capitalist,  "  and  there  is  my 
card ! " 

The  driver  threw  the  card  into 
the  gutter. 

"  Never  heard  of  you  before,"  said 
Jehu,  "  and  don't  want  to  hear  of  you 
again.  But  I  want  my  fare — and  I 
must  have  it." 

The  great  banker  was  in  haste  :  "  I 
have  only  an  order  for  a  million,"  he  said ; 
"  give  me  change  ?  "  and  he  profiered  a 
"  coupon"  for  fifty  thousand  francs.  The 
conductor  stared,  and  the  passengers  set 
up  a  horse  laugh.  Just  then  an  "  agent 
de  change  "  came  by,  and  Baron  Roths- 
child borrowed  of  him  the  six  sous. 
The  driver  was  now  seized  with  a  kind 
of  remorseful  respect ;  and  turning  to 
the  money-king,  he  said — 

"  If  you  want  ten  francs,  sir,  I  don't 
mind  lending  them  to  you  on  my  own 
account." 


Great  North  Pole  Railway. 

There  is  a  railway  enterprise  on  foot, 
which,  according  to  the  prospectus,  is 
to  literally  rise  above  everything  in  the 
line  of  that  class  of  transit  undertak- 
ings. It  is  styled,  with  that  modesty 
of  terms  which  distinguishes   all  real 


374 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


enterprises  from  those  which  are  merely 
chimerical,  the  "  Great  North  Pole  Rail- 
way, forming  a  junction  with  the  Equi- 
noctial Line,  with  a  branch  to  the  ho- 
rizon. Capital,  two  hundred  millions. 
Deposit,  three  pence."  The  directors 
named  for  the  North  Pole  terminus  are 
J.  Frost,  Esq.,  chairman  of  the  northwest 
passage  ;  and  Baron  Iceberg,  keeper  of 
the  great  seal  on  the  Northern  Ocean. 
Director  for  the  horizon,  Hugh  de  Rain- 
bow— admiral  of  the  red,  blue,  and 
orange,  etc. ,  etc.  And  in  ad  dition  to  these 
are  Simon  Scamp,  Esq,  chairman  of  the 
East  Jericho  Junction  Railway ;  Thomas 
Trapper,  Esq.,  manager  of  the  Gener- 
al Aerial  Navigation  Company ;  and  Sir 
Edward  Alias,  non-resident  director  of 
the  Equitable  Coal  and  Slate  Associa- 
tion ; — with  power  to  add  to  their  num- 
ber, by  "  taking  in  "  as  many  as  possible. 

The  proposed  line  will  take  the  hori- 
zon for  its  point  of  departure,  and,  pass- 
ing near  the  equator,  will  terminate  at 
the  North  Pole,  which  will  be  the  prin- 
cipal station  of  the  company. 

It  is  calculated  that  sunbeams  may 
be  conveyed  along  the  line  by  a  new 
process,  which  Professor  Twaddle  has 
been  employed  by  the  provisional  com- 
mittee to  discover ;  and  the  professor's 
report  will  be  laid  before  the  subscri- 
bers at  the  very  earliest  opportunity. 

By  bringing  the  Equator  within  a 
week  of  the  North  Pole,  and  cooperat- 
ing with  the  proprietors  of  the  Great 
Equinoctial  Line  (long  so  vigorous  in  its 
operations),  the  advantages  to  the  share- 
holders wiU  be  so  obvious,  that  it  is 
hardly  necessary  to  allude  to  them. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  mere  luggage 
traffic,  in  bringing  up  ice  from  the 
North  Pole  to  the  readiest  market,  will 
return  a  profit  of  sixty-five  per  cent, 
on  the  capital. 

Should  any  unforeseen  circumstance 
occur  to  prevent  the  Railway  being  car- 
ried out,  the  deposit  will  be  returned,  on 
application  to  Messrs.  Walker,  Gammon 
&  Co.  (Solicitors  to  the  Company),  at 
their  temporary  offices  in  Leg  Alley. 


Protective  Costume  for  Travellers. 

It  is  in  contemplation  to  provide,  at 
all  the  stations  on  a  certain  western 
railway,  a  dress  adapted  for  travellers 
along  that  celebrated  line,  by  which  it 
is  thought  they  will  be  secured  from  the 
chances  of  injury  by  the  collisions  that 
are  continually  happening. 

Considering  that  ^a<Z^in^  is  not  un- 
frequently  resorted  to,  for  the  purpose 
of  improving  the  figure,  it  has  been 
thought  quite  reasonable  that  the 
fashion  should  be  extended  to  the  pur- 
pose oi  protecting  the  limbs  as  well  as 
merely  adding  to  their  symmetry.  A 
good  pair  of  false  calves,  got  up  at  a 
reasonable  price,  would  doubtless  be  in 
very  great  demand,  among  those  who 
risk  their  legs  whenever  they  set  their 
foot  in  a  car  on  the  line  alluded  to. 
The  public  would  have  no  objection  to 
a  slight  addition  to  the  fares,  for  the 
purpose  of  insuring  something  like 
protection  against  accident. 

The  tariff  of  the  Company  might  easi- 
be  so  varied  as  to  allow  of  the  "  first 
class,  with  paddings,"  being  available  at 
a  small  extra  cost ;  while  the  "  second 
class,  with  calves  or  knee-caps,"  might 
be  charged  something  lower. 


Wagrhorn's  Great  Scheme. 

The  great  pioneer  of  the  Overland 
Communication  with  India  was  poor 
Thomas  Waghom.  It  is  now  upward 
of  thirty  years  since  Waghorn  arrived 
in  Bombay,  full  of  a  scheme  for  navi- 
gating a  steamer  round  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  which  steamer,  that  it 
might  carry  a  sufficiency  of  fuel  for 
the  whole  trip,  was  only  to  take  the 
mails  and  one  passenger.  On  the  day 
of  Waghorn's  arrival  a  meeting  was 
held  by  the  merchants  to  receive  pro- 
posals from  a  Mr.  Taylor  for  the  for- 
mation of  a  company  which  was  to 
open  a  communication  with  India  via 
the  Red  Sea.  Waghorn's  scheme  was 
scouted.     Taylor  received    great  en- 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


376 


couragement,  as  far  as  promises  could 
be  relied  upon,  and  he  started  for  Eu- 
rope with  a  party  of  friends,  travelling 
up  the  Persian  Gulf  and  Euphrates  en 
route  to  Constantinople  ;  but  the  whole 
party  was  murdered  by  the  Vezedees 
near  Diarbekir. 

On  the  receipt  of  the  news  in  India, 
Waghom  changed  his  tactics,  and 
declared  for  the  Red  Sea  route,  oflFer- 
ing  to  return  to  Europe  with  mercan- 
tile letters.  But  the  "  Ducks  " — as  the 
Bombay  people  are  familiarly  called  in 
India — thought  him  mad  or  eccentric. 
Certainly  he  was  afflicted  with  mono- 
mania— ^he  could  think,  speak,  dream 
of  nothing  but  "  steam."  It  became 
necessary,  when  in  his  company,  to 
avoid  all  allusion  to  anything  which 
could  supply  him  with  an  excuse  for 
bursting  out  on  his  favorite  topic. 
Kettles,  smoking  tureens,  condensed 
vapor,  one  shunned;  for  he  watched, 
as  a  cat  watches  for  a  mouse,  for  an  op- 
portunity of  bringing  in  steam  naviga- 
tion. On  one  unfortunate  occasion 
(says  the  narrator  of  this),  I  introduced 
him  to  a  Major  Hawkins,  a  military 
engineer,  saying :  "  Waghom,  make 
the  acquaintance  of  my  esteemed  friend. 
Major  Hawkins."  "  Steamed,  sir,  did 
you  say  ? "  exclaimed  Waghom ;  "  I 
am  delighted  I '''  He  seized  Hawkins 
by  the  buttons  and  victimized  him. 

Mad  as  he  was,  however,  Waghorn 
contrived  to  carry  his  point  with  the 
London  merchants  and  the  ministry. 
He  besieged  the  office  of  the  Foreign 
Secretary,  he  worried  the  Premier,  tor- 
tured the  Duke  of  Wellington,  and 
bullied  the  public  through  the  press. 
At  length  the  merchants  consented  to 
test  his  repeated  asseverations  that  let- 
ters could  be  carried  to  India,  tia  Egypt 
and  the  Red  Sea,  in  half  the  time  that 
it  required  to  send  them  around  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  They  intrusted 
him  with  a  large  packet  and  the  means 
of  paying  his  expenses.  He  set  out : 
travelled  express  to  Marseilles,  went  on 
a  French  vessel  to  Alexandria,  hasten- 


ed across  the  desert  on  a  canal,  hired 
a  small  vessel  at  Kosseir,  and  sailed 
down  to  India,  accomplishing  the  feat 
in  less  than  two  months.  All  scep- 
ticism now  vanished.  If  this  feat 
could  be  accomplished  by  sailing  ves- 
sels, what  might  not  a  steamer  achieve  ? 
A  company  was  formed ;  Waghorn  was 
rewarded  with  a  lieutenancy  in  the 
Royal  Navy,  and  soon  drank  himself 
to  death ;  and  thenceforward  India 
was  brought  ten  thousand  miles  nearer 
to  England.  Mighty  have  been  the 
results ! 


Bather  Dry. 

A  French  merchant — as  usual  viva- 
cious and  polite  in  the  extreme — while 
travelling  in  a  coach,  had  for  his  fel' 
low  traveller,  a  demure  and  taciturn 
old  English  banker.  With  character- 
istic French  courtesy,  he  endeavored 
to  engage  his  British  companion  in  a 
little  social  chat,  by  addressing  him 
thus  :  "  Sare,  I  hope  you  are  weU ; " 
he  however  received  no  reply,  and 
therefore  repeated  the  remark  more 
emphatically, — "  Sare,  I  hope  you  are 
ver  weU."  To  this  the  old  nabob  sulki- 
ly rejoined,  "  I  was  very  well,  sir,  when 
we  came  away ;  I  am  very  well  now ; 
and  when  I  get  ill,  I'll  let  you  know." 


New  Tork  to  Boston  in  Four  Says. 

The  first  stage  coach  from  New  York 
to  Boston,  started  on  the  24th  of  June, 
1773,  from  the  "  Fresh  Water."  It  was 
to  leave  each  terminus  once  a  fortnight. 
The  fare  was  four  pence.  New  York 
currency,  per  mile.  It  reached  Hart- 
ford, Conn,  in  two  days,  and  Boston  in 
two  more.  The  proprietors  promised 
a  weehly  stage,  "  if  encouraged  in  their 
great  enterprise." 


Good  Land  for  Bailroad. 

At  an  early  stage  in  the  proceedings 
of  the  Erie  and  New  York  City  Rail- 


376 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


road,  while  the  directors  were  negotiat- 
ing with  the  chiefs  for  the  land  around 
Jennison  Hill,  the  colonel  and  others 
had  made  some  strong  speeches  depict- 
ing the  worthlessness  of  the  land  and 
enlarging  considerably  upon  the  fact 
that  it  was  good  for  nothing  for  com, 
and,  consequently,  should  be  leased 
very  cheap. 

When  the  colonel  sat  down,  the  old 
chief  replied  in  the  Seneca  tongue  to 
the  interpreter,  to  the  eflfect  that  "  he 
knew  it  was  poor  land  for  com ;  but 
mighty  good,  land  for  railroad  !  "  The 
shrewdness  and  force  of  this  remark 
will  be  fully  appreciated  when  it  is 
known  that  the  little  strip  of  land 
around  Jennison  Hill  was  the  only  pos- 
sible place  for  a  railroad  that  did  not 
involve  the  building  of  two  expensive 
bridges  across  the  Alleghany. 


Disinterested  Bailroad  Contractor  I 

It  has  become  so  common  for  persons 
to  engage  in  railroad  enterprises,  and 
seek  to  become  directors,  presidents, 
or  contractors,  for  the  purpose  of  spec- 
ulating— in  the  opprobrious  use  of  that 
term, — that  it  is  really  refreshing  to 
record  the  instance  of  one  who  sacri- 
ficed his  own  interest  for  that  of  the 
persons  whom  he  represented.  Mr.  F.  C. 
went  to  New  York,  with  authority  to 
purchase  iron  for  twenty  miles  of  the 
raUroad  of  which  he  was  president. 
When  in  market,  he  found  he  could 
purchase  enough  for  seventy  miles 
more  at  good  rates,  but  his  limit  by 
the  directors  was  to  twenty  miles.  He 
determined  to  close  the  contract  for 
the  seventy  miles  on  private  account, 
which  he  did.  Iron  soon  rose  in  value 
so  much  so  that  his  contract  was 
$300,000  above  what  he  had  agreed 
to  pay.  It  was,  of  course,  legally  and 
fairly  his,  but  with  a  disinterestedness 
almost  without  a  parallel,  he  gave  the 
company  the  entire  benefit  of  his  bar- 
gain without  a  cent  of  compensation. 
A  disinterested    railroad   contractor! 


No  wonder  that  the  speedy  dawn  of 
the  millennium  has  been  so  confidently 
expected,  of  late  years  ! 


Bigrid  Obedience  of  Shipmasters 
Exacted  by  Gkirard. 

It  is  stated  as  a  fact  peculiar  to 
Girard's  management  of  his  business, 
that  he  was  always  his  own  insurer 
upon  his  ships,  and  he  never  forgave 
the  slightest  disobedience  of  his  orders 
on  the  part  of  any  captain  or  super- 
cargo in  his  employ. 

He  would  at  once  dismiss  his  cap- 
tains, even  if  they  saved  the  ship 
through  disobedience  of  his  orders; 
and  this  practice  he  carried  out  in  the 
most  arbitrary  manner,  no  matter  how 
long  a  period  the  offender  may  have 
been  in  his  employ,  nor  how  faithful 
and  valuable  the  services  rendered  by 
them.  Such  conduct  is  without  a  par- 
allel among  American  merchants. 


Scale  of  Railway  Politeness. 

The  classification  adopted  in  the 
management  of  English  railways  ap- 
pears not  to  be  confined  to  the  cars ; 
but  the  distinctions  of  first,  second, 
and  third  class  are  as  scmpulotisly  ob- 
served in  the  degree  of  politeness 
shown  by  the  employes  of  the  com- 
pany to  the  passengers.  The  old 
maxim  that  civility  costs  nothing 
seems  to  be  treated  as  a  fable  by  the 
railway  managers,  who  calculate  per- 
haps that  politeness  at  all  events  takes 
time,  and,  as  time  is  money,  the  officers 
of  the  company  are  not  justified  in 
giving  it  without  an  equivalent.  Any 
one  who  doubts  the  fact  of  this  dis- 
crimination has  only  to  present  him- 
self at  different  times  as  an  applicant 
for  information  at  a  railway  station, 
in  the  different  characters  of  a  first,  a 
second,  or  a  third  class  passenger. 

If  he  is  going  in  the  first  class,  he 
will  get  speedy  attention  from  the 
clerks  in  the  office;  bows,  and  even 
smiles,  from  the  policemen  on  the  plat- 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


377 


form  ;  and  perhaps  a  touch  of  the  hat 
from  the  conductor.  The  second  class 
passengers  will  get  bare  civility — but 
rather  more  of  the  bear  than  the  civili- 
ty, from  the  officials  vpho  deliver  the 
checks ;  these  latter  are  very  fond  of 
trying  to  cheat  themselves  into  the 
belief  that  they  are  quite  on  a  par 
with  the  petted  "  gentlemen  in  govern- 
ment oflBce,"  whom  the  railway  clerks 
chiefly  resemble  in  an  assumed  noncha- 
lance, which,  however,  the  plain  speak- 
ing of  a  passenger  who  will  be  attended 
to,  and  who  may  be  a  shareholder,  is 
pretty  sure  to  dissipate.  A  second 
class  passenger  will  get  little  else  than 
a  "  Now,  sir,"  from  the  policeman,  and 
a  "  Come,  jump  up  ! "  from  the  con- 
ductor ;  while,  alas  I  the  third  class 
passenger  will  perhaps  suddenly  find 
himself  catching  a  smart  poke  in  his 
chest  from  the  conductor's  staff,  by  way 
of  keeping  him  back  till  it  is  conve- 
nient to  let  him  enter. 

In  fact,  there  are  short  answers  as 
well  as  short  trains,  and  each  class  has 
a  set  of  rules  of  courtesy  or  "  atten- 
tion "  applied  to  it,  which  the  officers 
are  bound  to  obey  as  scrupulously  as 
they  do  the  railway  signals. 


"  Pleasure  Excursions." 

One  would  imagine  that  railways 
were  of  that  "grave"  nature  that 
would  drive  away  joking.  One  would 
about  as  soon  expect  to  fall  upon  a 
comic  churchyard,  as  to  meet  with  a 
jocund  railway — for  smash-ups  and 
mutilations,  somehow,  are  not  very 
favorable  to  fun.  One  style  of  joking 
which  has  been  adopted  by  a  certain 
railway  company  that  has  always  been 
the  most  fruitful  in  accidents,  is  that 
of  advertising  "  Pleasure  Excursions." 
The  directors'  notions  of  amusement 
must  have  been  learned  in  the  slaugh- 
ter house.  One  day  of  such  pleasure,  it 
would  rationally  be  supposed,  must 
suffice  a  man  his  entire  life — ^his  day 
of  pleasure  and  his  life  or  limb  will 


probably  prove  in  this  case  to  be 
neck  and  neck.  The  words  "Last 
Chance,"  which  commonly  wind  up 
such  advertisements,  are  also  intensely 
suggestive.  The  names  of  the  en- 
gines, too,  are  frequently  conducive 
to  anything  but  pleasant  emotions — 
there  seems  to  be  a  cruel  delight  in 
christening  them  after  the  gloomiest 
objects :  One  railway,  for  instance, 
has  the  following  lively  stud  of  engines 
— "  Lethe,"  "  Styx,"  "  Minos,"  "  Pluto,' 
and  several  others,  introducing  every 
member  of  the  latter  gentleman's  in- 
teresting family,  as  if  it  was  absolutely 
necessary  that  every  traveller  should  be 
on  companionable  terms  with  them, 
preparatory  to  what  is  to  follow.  One 
cannot  help  thinking  that  the  very 
bad  names  which  directors  are  in  the 
habit  of  giving  their  engines  may  have 
had  some  influence  in  making  them, 
as  they  so  often  prove,  such  emphati- 
cally thorough-going  engines— of  de- 
struction. 


The  First  Steamboat  Fassagre-Money 
ever  Paid. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  incidents 
of  a  business  nature  is  that  which  con- 
cerns the  first  steamboat  fare  paid  to 
Fulton.  The  narrator  of  this,  who  was 
also  one  of  the  actors  in  the  scene,  says  : 
"  I  chanced  to  be  at  Albany  on  busi- 
ness when  Fulton  arrived  there,  in  his 
unheard-of  craft,  which  everybody 
felt  so  much  interest  in  seeing.  Being 
ready  to  leave,  and  hearing  that  this 
craft  was  going  to  return  to  New 
York,  I  repaired  on  board  and  in- 
quired for  Mr.  Fulton ;  I  was  referred 
to  the  cabin,  and  there  found  a  plain, 
gentlemanly  man,  wholly  alone,  and 
engaged  in  writing. 

"  Mr.  Fulton,  I  presume." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Do  you  return  to  New  York,  with 
this  boat?" 

"  We  shall  try  to  get  back,  sir." 

"  Can  I  have  a  passage  down  ? " 


378 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


"  You  can  take  your  chance  with  us, 
sir." 

"  I  inquired  the  amount  to  be  paid, 
and,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  a  sum, 
I  think  six  dollars,  was  named.  The 
amount,  in  coin,  I  laid  in  his  open 
hand,  and,  with  his  eye  fixed  upon 
it,  he  remained  so  long  motionless, 
that  I  supposed  there  might  be  a  mis- 
count, and  said  to  him, '  Is  that  right, 
sir  ? '" 

This  question  roused  him  as  from  a 
kind  of  reverie,  and  as  he  looked  up  to 
me  the  big  tear  was  brimming  in  his 
eye,  and  his  voice  faltered  as  he  said, 
"Excuse  me,  sir;  but  memory  was 
busy  as  I  contemplated  this,  the  first 
pecuniary  reward  I  have  ever  received 
for  all  my  exertions  in  adapting  steam 
to  navigation.  I  should  gladly  com- 
memorate the  occasion  over  a  bottle 
of  wine  with  you  but,  really  I  am  too 
poor,  even  for  that,  just  now ;  yet  I 
trust  we  may  meet  again  when  this 
will  not  be  the  case." 

That  voyage  to  New  York  was  suc- 
cessful, as  all  know,  and  terminated 
without  accident. 

Some  four  years  after  this,  when  the 
Clermont  had  been  greatly  improved, 
and  her  name  changed  to  the  North 
River,  and  when  two  other  boats,  viz., 
the  Car  of  Neptune  and  the  Paragon, 
had  been  built,  making  Mr.  Fulton's 
fleet  three  boats  regularly  plying 
between  New  York  and  Albany,  I 
took  passage  upon  one  of  these  for 
the  latter  city.  The  cabin  in  that  day 
was  below;  and,  as  I  walked  its 
length,  to  and  fro,  I  saw  I  was  very 
closely  observed  by  one  I  supposed  a 
stranger.  Soon,  however,  I  recalled 
the  features  of  Mr.  Fulton  ;  but,  with- 
out disclosing  this,  I  continued  my 
walk.  At  length,  in  passing  his  seat, 
our  eyes  met,  when  he  sprang  to  his 
feet,  and,  eagerly  seizing  my  hand, 
exclaimed,  "  I  knew  it  must  be  you, 
for  your  features  have  never  escaped 
me ;  and,  although  I  am  still  far  from 
rich,  yet    I    may  venture   that  iottle 


now  ! "  It  was  ordered ;  and  during 
its  discussion  Mr.  Fulton  ran  rapidly, 
but  vividly,  over  his  experiences  of  the 
world's  coldness  and  sneers,  and  of  the 
hopes,  fears,  disappointments,  and  diffi- 
culties, that  were  scattered  through  his 
whole  career  of  discovery, — up  to  the 
very  point  of  his  final,  crowning 
triumph,  at  which  he  so  fully  felt  he 
had  arrived  at  last. 

And  in  reviewing  all  these,  said  he : 
"  I  have  again  and  again  recalled  the 
occasion,  and  the  incident,  of  our  first 
interview  at  Albany ;  and  never  have 
I  done  so  without  renewing  in  my  mind 
the  vivid  emotion  it  originally  caused. 
That  seemed,  and  does  still  seem,  to 
me,  the  turning  point  in  my  destiny — 
the  dividing  line  between  light  and 
darkness,  in  my  career  upon  earth; 
for  it  was  the  first  actual  recognition 
of  my  usefulness  to  my  fellow  men." 


GeoTgre  Hudson,  the  Bailway  King'. 

George  Hudson,  who  wiU  always 
be  known  as  the  English  railway  king, 
may  be  said  to  have  left  his  counter  as 
a  linen  draper  and  sprang  upon  the 
steam  engine.  His  first  notable  move- 
ment in  this  line  was  the  subscription 
for  several  himdred  shares  in  the  York 
railway  enterprise,  and  by  a  natural 
progress,  imder  a  strong  and  vigorous, 
bold  and  determined  mind  like  his,  he 
soon  became  known  as  the  railway 
monarch.  His  influence  extended  sev- 
enty-six miles  over  the  York  and  North 
Midland  railroads ;  flfty-one  over  the 
Hull  and  Selby  and  Leeds  and  Selby ; 
over  the  North  Midland,  Midland  coun- 
ties, and  another,  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-eight miles ;  over  the  Newcastle 
and  Darlington,  and  the  Great  North 
of  England,  one  hundred  and  eleven 
miles;  while  over  the  Sheffield  and 
Rotherham,  the  York  and  Scarborough, 
the  North  British,  "Whitby  and  Picker- 
ing, it  afiected  near  six  hundred  miles 
more,  making  a  total  of  more  than  one 
thousand  miles,  all  of  which  were  sue- 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


879 


cessful  in  developing  traffic,  and  equal- 
ly successful  in  paying  good  dividends. 

For  a  time,  no  other  name  was  heard 
in  the  great  world  of  railways.  In  the 
journals  of  the  day  men  read  of  his 
wonderful  doings.  The  press  recorded 
his  whereabouts;  the  draughtsman 
pencilled  his  features.  His  name  was 
connected  with  preference,  shares,  and 
profits.  He  wielded  an  influence  un- 
paralleled and  unprecedented.  Peers 
flattered  the  dispenser  of  scrip,  and 
peeresses  fawned  upon  the  allotter  of 
premiums.  It  was  told  with  pleasure 
and  repeated  with  delight,  that  his 
empire  extended  over  one  thousand 
miles  of  railway.  His  fortune  was 
computed  with  an  almost  personal 
pride.  Almack's  was  deserted  when 
Albert  house  was  full.  The  ducal  crest 
was  seen  on  the  carriage  at  his  door. 
The  daintiest  aristocracy  of  England 
sought  his  presence.  Foreign  poten- 
tates sued  for  his  society.  The  coronet 
of  the  peer  was  veiled  before  the  crown 
of  the  railway  king.  The  minister  paid 
his  court,  and  the  bishop  bent  in  hom- 
age. The  ermine  of  the  judge  lost  its 
dignity,  and  the  uniform  of  the  officer 
its  pride.  The  Christian  banker  and 
the  Hebrew  capitalist  alike  acknowl- 
edged his  greatness.  Stories  were  plen- 
tiful of  the  fortunes  he  had  won,  and 
the  dividends  his  enterprises  had  paid. 
The  prince  consort  was  proud  to  be 
introduced  to  him,  "  shook  hands  very 
heartily  with  the  member  (he  was  in 
the  House  of  Commons),  and  remained 
in  conversation  with  him  for  some 
time." 

When  his  name  graced  an  advertise- 
ment, men  ran  to  buy  the  share.  In 
regard  to  lines  known  to  be  worthless, 
and  on  which  no  business  was  doing, 
if  a  rumor  was  skilfully  spread  that 
Hudson  was  after  them,  the  stock  ex- 
change was  in  a  ferment,  and  prices 
rose  enormously,  to  the  cool  loss  of  the 
holder,  however,  when  the  contradic- 
tion came.  He  was  their  railway  po- 
tentate, their  iron  king — ^their  golden 


god.  His  appearance  on  the  platform 
was  a  perfect  ovation.  Sober,  steady- 
minded  men  shouted  with  joy — shrewd 
speculators  ditto ;  and  one  intense, 
universal  homage  greeted  the  image 
they  had  set  up.  The  thought  of  ten 
per  cent,  enraptured  them,  and  the 
loud  applause  which  hailed  his  tram- 
way periods  would  only  have  been  jus- 
tified by  the  discourse  of  a  Macaulay 
or  the  oration  of  a  Peel.  Over  railways 
and  railway  managers  he  maintained 
an  imperial  sway. 

His  exertions  in  behalf  of  the  pro- 
jects he  espoused  were  absolutely  as- 
tonishing. Nothing  seemed  to  wear 
his  mind ;  nothing  appeared  to  weary 
his  frame.  He  battled  in  parliamentary 
committees,  day  by  day ;  he  argued, 
pleaded,  and  gesticulated  with  an  ear- 
nestness which  rarely  failed  in  its  ob- 
ject. One  day  in  town  cajoling  a  com- 
mittee— the  next  persuading  an  arch- 
bishop. In  the  morning  adjusting 
some  rival  claim  in  an  obscure  office ; 
in  the  afternoon  astonishing  the  stock 
exchange  with  some  daring  coup  de 
main. 

But  his  connection  with  the  railways 
of  the  Eastern  counties,  the  bad  man- 
agement of  which  brought  things  to 
such  a  desperate  pass,  turned  the  scale 
of  his  fortune  at  last.  The  unwise  ex- 
periment was  made  of  declaring  divi- 
dends which  had  not  been  earned,  and 
paying  them  out  of  the  capital,  in  or- 
der to  keep  up  the  value  of  the  stock, 
and  the  prestige  of  Mr.  Hudson.  The 
imprudence  was  bitterly  paid  for.  In 
a  short  time  the  railway  king,  stripped 
of  crown  and  sceptre,  was  sent  into  ig- 
nominious exile  !  The  revulsion  in  pop- 
ular feeling  was  fierce,  and  he  was  now 
as  intensely  hated  as  he  had  been  before 
admired.  The  more  sweet  had  been 
the  accents  of  praise,  the  more  bitter 
were  now  the  objurgations  uttered  by 
the  same  tongues  against  that  name.  It 
was  a  malignant  delight  to  repeat  and 
repeat  over  again  the  thousand  stories 
of  his  unheard-of  villanies.    The  rail- 


880 


COMMERCIAL  AXD  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


way  king  had  now  become  the  railway 
demon,  and  his  many  roads  were  but 
iron  ways  for  transporting  the  whole 
realm  to  the  infernal  latitudes. 

Personally,  he  was  a  plain,  solid- 
looking  man  with  a  large  and  heavy 
build;  a  keen,  penetrating,  gray  eye; 
a  broad,  wrinkled,  and  severe  face; 
gray  and  scanty  hair ;  a  nervous  and 
rather  peculiar  gait,  somewhat  shuf- 
fling ;  in  dress  inclined  to  be  careless. 
His  speech  was  rapid,  without  grace 
of  delivery,  his  utterance  somewhat 
thick,  and  he  aflFected  no  refinement  of 
manner.  He  pitched  at  once  into  his 
subject,  and  said  what  he  had  to  say 
in  the  fewest  words  he  could  put  it 
in. 

Among  the  causes  of  his  success,  one 
was  an  excellent  arithmetical  capacity, 
enabling  him  to  form  in  his  head  the 
most  elaborate  combinations  of  figures 
in  a  very  brief  time.  Another  thing 
was  his  close  personal  attention  to  the 
minutiae ;  nothing  was  too  small  to  be 
overlooked  or  to  be  left  to  others,  if  he 
could  see  to  it  himself.  He  examined 
personally  every  department  of  the 
roads  under  his  management,  and 
knew  the  duties  of  every  man. 


Stephenson,  the  Pioneer  in  Sailway 
Construction. 

To  Mr,  Stephenson  is  commonly 
awarded  the  honor  of  first  constructing 
a  railway  for  general  transportation. 
Three  years  elapsed  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  work,  and  those  in- 
terested began  to  be  impatient.  They 
wished — as  was  natural — for  some  re- 
turns from  the  vast  amount  of  capital 
they  had  expended. 

"Now,  George,"  said  Friend  Crup- 
per to  him  one  day,  "  thou  must  get  on 
with  the  railway,  and  have  it  finished 
without  further  delay.  Thou  must 
really  have  it  ready  for  opening  by  the 
first  day  of  January  next." 

"  It  is  impossible,"  said  Stephenson. 

"Impossible !  I  wish  I  could  get  Na- 


poleon at  thee.     He  would  tell  thee 
that  there  is  no  such  word." 

"Tushl  Don't  speak  to  me  about 
Napoleon.  Give  me  men,  money,  and 
materials,  and  I  will  do  what  Napoleon 
couldn't  do — drive  a  railroad  from  Liv- 
erpool to  Manchester  over  Chat  Moss." 


Mr.  Grig-g's  Mode  of  Overcoming 
Obstacles^ 

On  the  death  of  ]VIr.  Warner,  the 
eminent  Philadelphia  bookseller,  with 
whom  Mr.  John  Grigg  was  for  a  con- 
siderable time  associated  in  business, 
the  settlement  of  the  afiairs  of  the  firm 
was  devolved  upon  Mr,  G.  Nor  was 
this  a  slight  undertaking.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  house  had  been  immense ; 
connected  with  it  were  numerous 
branches  and  agencies ;  it  had  dealings 
with  various  houses  at  the  South  and 
West,  and  the  settlement  of  aflfairs  ren- 
dered frequent  journeyings  necessary. 
During  one  of  those  journeys,  an  inci- 
dent occurred  which  is  too  characterise 
tic  of  the  days  of  stage-coach  travel- 
ling, and  of  the  determined  energy  of 
Mr.  Grigg's  character,  not  to  be  worthy 
of  mention.  He  was  at  Charleston.  It 
was  the  latter  part  of  December,  1825, 
and  by  Christmas  day  he  must  be  in 
Philadelphia,  He  pushed  forward, 
travelling  day  and  night;  at  Balti- 
more, the  steamboat  which  usually 
connected  was  found  to  have  left  off 
running,  and  the  travellers  were  forced 
to  take  to  the  mail  coach.  But  every 
seat  was  full  when  Mr.  Grigg  arrived ; 
there  was  no  alternative  for  the  deter- 
mined traveller,  weary  and  excited  as 
he  was  by  incessant  journeying  for 
seven  long  days  and  sleepless  nights, 
but  to  ride  outside  with  the  driver. 
The  day,  or  rather  the  night,  was 
cold,  the  air  was  full  of  sleet,  the 
road  miry.  But  to  the  driver's  seat 
he  mounted  and  pushed  on.  At 
Havre  de  Grace  another  driver  took 
the  reins,  who  was  unacquainted  with 
the  road ;  it  was  long  after  dark,  and 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


381 


the  "  insides,"  who  began  to  be  fearful 
of  their  necks  as  the  coach  plunged 
and  tossed  in  the  mire,  grew  clamorous 
for  putting  back  till  the  morning.  But 
Mr.  Grigg  was  determined  that  the 
stage  should  go  ahead  and  be  in  Phila- 
delphia by  Christmas  day,  and,  besides, 
they  carried  the  mails,  and  a  public 
conveyance  must  not  be  delayed  !  So 
he  procured  a  lantern,  and  going  be- 
fore the  coach  piloted  the  travellers 
though  the  darkness  and  mire  for 
about  two  miles.  Finally,  mounting 
the  box  again,  he  took  the  reins  into 
his  own  hands,  and  daylight  saw  the 
delighted  travellers  arrived  at  Elkton, 
and  well  on  their  way.  They  at  once 
entreated  him  to  take  a  seat  inside. 
And  early  on  Christmas  morning  Mr. 
Grigg  was  in  Philadelphia. 


Southern  Accommodation  Trains. 

OtiR  railroad  is  a  slow  coach  (writes 
a  Southern  traveller) ;  going  along  at 
the  usual  speed  of  six  or  eight  miles  an 
hour,  we  came  to  a  dead  halt ;  several 
passengers  left  the  cars,  and  went  to 
climbing  the  trees  by  the  side  of  the 
track.  I  asked  the  conductor  what 
they  were  after.  "  Grapes,"  he  an- 
swered. "  Why,"  said  I,  "  is  it  possi- 
ble you  stop  whenever  the  passengers 
wish  to  get  some  grapes  ?  "  "  Oh,  cer- 
tainly, this  is  the  accommodation  train  ! " 


"Your  Ticket,  Sixl" 

Ok  one  of  the  Georgia  railroads  there 
was  a  conductor  named  Snell,  a  very 
clever,  sociable,  gentlemanly  man,  a 
great  favorite  with  the  company  he 
was  connected  with,  and  the  travelling 
public  in  general — fond  of  a  joke,  quick 
at  repartee,  and  faithful  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties.  During  one  of  his  trips, 
as  his  train,  well  filled  with  passengers, 
was  crossing  a  bridge  over  a  wide 
stream,  some  seven  or  eight  feet  deep, 
the  bridge  broke  down,  precipitating 
the  two  passenger  cars  into  the  stream. 


As  the  passengers  emerged  from  the 
wreck  they  were  borne  away  by  the 
force  of  the  current.  Snell  had  suc- 
ceeded in  catching  hold  of  some  bushes 
that  grew  on  the  bank  of  the  stream, 
to  which  he  clung  for  dear  life.  A 
passenger  less  fortunate  came  rushing 
by ;  Snell  extended  one  hand,  saying, 
"  Your  ticket,  sir ;  give  me  your  tick- 
et !  "  The  effect  of  such  a  dry  joke  in 
the  midst  of  the  water  may  be  imagined. 


Thompson's  Travels  in  California. 

It  is  not  unlikely  (though  the  capital 
contributor  to  "  Harper's  "  does  not  say 
so)  that  Thompson,  who  figures  in  the 
following  whirligig  of  fun,  was  a  Yan- 
kee, having  an  eye  to  "  sites,"  "  water 
privileges,"  etc.,  and  ready  for  an 
"  operation "  when  the  opportunity 
should  present  itself.  Assuming  this 
very  reasonable  probability,  we  are  only 
too  happy  to  give  it  a  place  in  these 
pages. 

In  the  northern  part  of  California  is 
a  stream  called  Yuba  River.  Across  it 
some  enterprising  individual  built  a 
bridge;  and  on  the  banks  somebody 
else  built  three  or  four  houses.  The 
inhabitants  called  the  place  Yuba 
Dam.  Three  bars  were  instantly  erect- 
ed, and  the  "  town  "  increased  rapidly. 
About  noon  one  cool  day  a  traveller 
and  a  sojourner  in  the  land  passed  this 
flourishing  locality,  and  seeing  a  long- 
legged  specimen  of  humanity  in  a  red 
shirt  smoking  before  one  of  the  bars, 
thus  addressed  him : 

"  Hello ! " 

"  Hello  I "  replied  the  shirt,  with 
vigor,  removing  his  pipe  from  his 
mouth. 

"  What  place  is  this  ?  "  demanded 
the  traveller,  whose  name  was  Thomp- 
son. 

The  answer  of  the  shirt  was  imex- 
pected : 

"  Yuba  Dam  1 " 

There  was  about  fifty  yards  between 
them,  and  the  wind  was  blowing.    Mr. 


382 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Thompson  thought  he  had  been  mis- 
taken. 

"  What  did  you  say  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yuba  Dam  1  "  replied  the  stranger, 
cheerfiiUy. 

"  What  place  is  this  ? "  roared  Mr. 
Thompson. 

"  Yu-ba  Dam,"  said  the  shirt,  in  a 
slightly  elevated  tone  of  voice. 

"  Lookee  here  !  "  yelled  the  irate 
Thompson ;  "  I  asked  you  politely 
what  place  this  was ;  why  in  thunder 
don't  you  answer  ?  " 

The  stranger  became  excited.  He 
rose,  and  replied  with  the  voice  of  an 
80-pouuder, 

"  YU-BA  DAM !    You  hear  that  ? " 

In  a  minute  Thompson,  burning 
with  the  Avrath  of  the  righteous, 
jumped  off  his  horse,  and  advanced  to 
the  stranger  with  an  expression  not  to 
be  mistaken.  The  shirt  arose,  and  as- 
sumed a  posture  of  offence  and  defence. 
Arrived  within  a  yard  of  him,  Thomp- 
son said : 

"  I  ask  you  for  the  last  time.  What 
place  is  this  ? " 

Putting  his  hand  to  his  mouth,  his 
opponent  roared  • 

»  YU-BA  DAM  !  " 

The  next  minute  they  were  at  it. 
First,  Thompson  was  down ;  then  the 
shirt ;  and  then  it  was  a  dog-fall — that 
is,  both  were  down.  They  rolled  about, 
kicking  up  a  tremendous  dust.  They 
squirmed  around  so  energetically  that 
it  appeared  as  though  they  had  a  dozen 
legs  instead  of  four.  It  looked  like  a 
prize  fight  between  two  pugilistic  cen- 
tipedes. Finally,  they  both  rolled  off 
the  bank  and  into  the  river.  The 
water  cooled  them.  They  went  down 
together,  but  came  up  separate,  and 
put  out  for  the  shore.  Both  reached  it 
about  the  same  time,  and  Thompson 
scrambled  up  the  bank,  mounted  his 
warlike  steed,  and  made  tracks,  leav- 
ing his  foe  gouging  the  mud  out  of  one 
of  his  eyes. 

Having  left  the  business  portion  of 
the  town,  that  is  to  say,  the  comer 


where  the  three  bars  were  kept,  he 
struck  a  house  in  the  "  suburbs,"  before 
which  a  little  girl  of  about  four  years 
of  age  was  playing.  ^ 

"What  place  is  this,  sissy?"  he 
asked. 

The  little  girl,  frightened  at  the 
drowned-rat  figure  which  the  stranger 
cut,  streaked  it  for  the  house.  Having 
reached  the  door,  she  stopped,  turned, 
and  squealed,  "  Oo-bee  Dam  !  " 

"  Good  Heavens  !  "  said  Thompson, 
digging  his  heels  between  his  horse's 
ribs — "  Good  Heavens  !  let  me  get  out 
of  this  horrid  place,  where  not  only  the 
men,  but  the  very  babes  and  sucklings, 
swear  at  inoffensive  travellers !  " 


Prom  Honolulu  to  Kaui. 

Two  citizens  of  Honolulu,  Judge  B. 
and  Dr.  N.,  had  occasion  to  go  to  the 
island  of  Kaui,  the  land  of  sugar  and 
coffee.  They  returned  in  a  schooner, 
and  among  the  passengers  was  the 
governor  of  the  island,  who  was  com- 
ing to  visit  the  metropolis— the  great 
city  of  Honolulu.  The  governor  is  a 
native,  and  so  is  the  captain  of  the 
schooner — a  first-rate  seaman  as  long 
as  land  was  in  sight.  There  came  up 
a  gale  that  blew  them  off;  and  having 
no  compass,  and  a  short  supply  of  pro- 
visions, they  were  soon  in  a  sad  plight 
indeed.  On  and  on,  for  nine  days, 
they  sailed,  when  they  ought  to  have 
been  in  port  in  two.  The  judge  and 
the  doctor  thought  it  about  time  to 
take  matters  into  their  own  hands,  or 
they  would  all  be  starved  to  death; 
for  neither  law  nor  physic  would  serve 
them  without  sometliing  to  eat.  They 
deemed  it  proper  to  ask  the  governor 
what  he  thought  best  to  be  done.  His 
excellency  took  the  subject  into  con- 
sideration, and  with  great  sagacity  re- 
marked, "  Well,  now,  as  we  are  lost,  I 
think  we  had  better  go  back  to  where 
we  started  from."  The  poor  captain 
would  have  been  but  too  happy  to 
comply  with  the  governor's  suggestion. 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


883 


had  there  been  any  such  thing  as 
knowing  where  that  place  was ;  but 
that  day  a  whaler  hove  in  sight,  and 
supplying  them  with  provisions,  led 
them  into  port.  They  were  actually 
on  the  way  to  America. 


Not  Posted  in  Geography. 

There  was  once  an  old  gentleman 
of  the  utmost  integrity  of  character, 
but  keen  as  a  brier  in  all  business  mat- 
ters, who,  not  having  had  early  oppor- 
tunities of  acquiring  knowledge,  some- 
times made  sad  mistakes  in  his  use  of 
language.  Although  largely  engaged 
in  shipping,  he  was  profoundly  igno- 
rant of  geography.  He  came  one  day, 
with  a  letter  in  his  hand,  which  he  had 
just  received,  into  the  insurance  office, 
and  asked  to  see  a  chart  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. It  was  promptly  unrolled, 
and  spending  a  long  time  in  an  ap- 
parently unsatisfactory  examination, 
the  curiosity  of  the  president  of  the 
office  was  excited,  and  he  oflFered  his 
aid  to  assist  him  in  his  trouble.  "  Why," 
says  the  old  gentleman,  "  I  have  just 
got  a  letter  from  one  of  my  captains, 
who  states  that  he  has  experienced  a 
violent  hurricane,  and  consequently 
put  in  great  jeopardy.  Now,  I  know 
Great  Jeopardy  is  a  port  in  the  Medi- 
terranean, but  I  can't  find  the  plaguey 
place  on  the  map." 


Workins  a  Hand  Car. 

The  thriving  town  of  Scranton, 
Pennsylvania,  where  railroad  iron  and 
other  products  of  the  same  substantial 
metal  are  extensively  manufactured,  is 
situated  on  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna, 
and  Western  Railroad.  There  is  a  very 
heavy  ascending  grade  for  several  miles 
westward  from  this  place,  to  overcome 
which  requires  not  a  little  power  of 
steam  with  an  ordinary  train  of  cars. 
Just  before  this  part  of  the  road  was 
opened,  an  officer  connected  with  it 
had    occasion    to    go    three   or   four 


miles  west  to  superintend  some  oper- 
ations. 

He  took  a  light  hand  car  and  two 
powerful  men  to  work  it,  one  of  whom 
was  a  German,  not  an  accomplished 
engineer,  nor  very  familiar  with  the 
working  of  railroads.  They  toiled 
hard  at  the  crank,  working  their  way 
up  the  steep  grade,  landing  their  pas- 
senger at  his  destined  point,  who  sent 
the  car  back  to  Scranton  by  the  Ger- 
man alone,  knowing  that  no  labor  was 
required  to  descend,  excepting  when  it 
was  necessary  to  hold  back  by  putting 
on  the  brake.  Not  having  received  any 
specific  directions,  however,  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  he  was  to  work  his 
way  down,  the  German  mounted  the 
car,  and  thinking  as  it  had  been  such  a 
severe  labor  for  two  men  to  take  the  car 
out,  it  would  require  still  more  exer- 
tion for  one  to  work  it  back,  he  applied 
all  his  strength  to  the  crank,  and  was 
soon  moving  with  tremendous  velocity, 
down  the  hill  toward  the  town  and  the 
terminus  of  the  road.  As  he  passed 
through  the  town  over  the  last  half 
mile,  all  unconscious  of  what  was  be- 
fore him,  his  danger  excited  universal 
apprehension,  and  the  cry  was  raised 
on  every  hand,  "  Put  on  the  brake  1 
Put  on  the  brake  ! "  Interpreting  the 
cry  to  mean  "  Put  on  more  strength," 
he  laid  out  all  his  power  upon  one  last 
grand  eflFort.  Reaching  the  end  of  the 
road,  where  there  was  some  heavy  ob- 
struction, sufficient  to  stop  a  train  of 
cars,  the  hand  car  was  instantly  con- 
verted into  kindling  wood,  and  the 
poor  German  was  thrown  head  over 
heels  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet 
beyond  where  it  struck.  As  he  was 
picked  up,  in  a  mangled  condition, 
some  one  asked  him, 

"Why  didn't  you  put  on  the 
brake  1 " 

"  Put  on  the  prake,"  said  he,  "  vy,  it 
ish  preak  all  to  pieces  !  " 

And  this  was  the  end  of  that  ride. 


384 


COMMERCIAL  AND   BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Am  ending  the  Charter. 

A  LITTLE  transaction  between  a  New 
York  merchant  and  a  Frenchman  is 
thus  related  by  the  former :  He  was  a 
captain  of  a  coasting  craft,  and  I  char- 
tered his  vessel  for  a  round  sum,  to 
take  a  cargo  of  wheat  up  the  river  to  a 
mill,  and  to  return  with  a  load  of  flour 
in  barrels.  There  was  a  written  agree- 
ment between  us,  which  required 
him  to  load  without  unnecessary  delay. 
Having  a  limited  knowledge  of  Eng- 
lish, and  being  a  cautious  skipper,  he 
took  the  agreement,  before  signing  it, 
to  a  compatriot — who  was,  or  pretend- 
ed to  be,  in  the  legal  profession — ^whose 
knowledge  of  our  language  was  much 
more  contracted  than  his  own,  and 
gave  him  a  small  fee  to  read  it  over 
and  see  if  it  was  correct.  They  came 
together  to  my  office,  and  the  lawyer 
addressed  me  with  much  politeness 
and  gravity,  while  his  countryman 
stood  by  with  approbative  visage : 
"  Bare,  I  have  read  this  little  papier. 
It  is  entierement  cor-r-rect,  except  von 
vord.  I  do  not  like  zat  expr-r-ression 
unneeessorTie !  "  "  Very  well,"  said  I, 
with  great  frankness,  "  I  will  scratch  it 
out,"  and  I  did  so.  The  skipper  aad 
lawyer  both  seemed  relieved  immensely 
now  that  the  former  was  obliged  to 
load  his  vessel  "  without  delay.'''' 


"Soaking:"  the  old  Coach. 

In  olden  times,  before  the  introduc- 
tion of  railroads,  there  lived  in  the 
town  of  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania, 
a  certain  tavern  keeper  named  Ramsay, 
proprietor  of  all  the  stage  coaches  in 
that  region  of  country.  His  house  was 
not  one  of  those  miserable,  dirty  holes 
usually  selected  as  the  stopping  places 
of  the  stages,  but  a  fine,  spacious,  old- 
fashioned  inn,  where  one  was  sure  to 
find  cleanliness  and  comfort — the  best 
of  everything  that  rich  country  could 
aflFord,  and  plenty  of  it.  Squire  Ram- 
say had  become  rich,  and  was  much  re- 


spected by  all  his  neighbors.  Unfortu- 
nately, however,  he  became  also  a  little 
too  fond  of  his  "pure  old  rye,"  and 
was  likely  to  become  a  regular  drunk- 
ard. His  friends  felt  the  necessity  of 
cautioning  him  against  this  besetting 
sin;  but  the  Squii'e,  being  a  high- 
spirited  old  colt,  required  careful 
handling. 

Finally,  it  was  agreed  that  the  doctor 
of  the  place,  one  of  his  oldest  friends, 
should  deal  with  him  in  the  most  deli- 
cate manner  possible.  The  doctor 
thought  best  to  approach  his  friend  in 
the  way  of  a  parable,  as  Nathan  did 
David,  and  felt  certain  of  success.  At 
their  next  interview  he  led  the  conver- 
sation intentionally  to  the  subject  of 
stage  coaches — ^how  long  they  would 
last,  etc. 

"  Now,  Mr.  R.,"  said  he,  "  suppose 
you  had  a  fine,  well-built,  old  coach, 
that  had  done  good  service  and  was  yet 
sound,  though  perhaps  a  little  shack- 
ling, and  the  seams  a  little  open ;  would 
you  put  it  to  a  team  of  fiery  young 
horses  on  the  roughest  part  of  the  road, 
or  would  you  not  put  it  to  a  team  of 
steady  old  stagers,  and  on  the  smooth- 
est part  of  the  road  you  could  find  ? " 

"  Well,  doctor,"  said  the  squire,  in 
perfect  ignorance  of  the  doctor's  drift, 
"  if  I  had  such  a  stage  as  you  describe, 
/  would  soaTc  it !  " 

The  doctor  was  silenced,  but,  wheth- 
er from  the  advice  of  his  friends  or  the 
promptings  of  his  own  good  sense,  the 
squire  ceased  to  run  the  "  old  coach  " 
so  hard,  and  died  highly  esteemed  and 
respected. 

Strange  Terminus  to  a  Bailroad. 

There  is  a  small  town  on  the  North 
Missouri  Railroad  called  Renick;  and 
Renick  is  a  hard  place — a  very  hard 
place.  In  one  of  the  cars  on  this  road, 
on  a  certain  occasion,  sat — with  his 
feet  upon  the  cushions  and  his  hat 
down  over  his  eyes — a  flashy  but  dirty- 
looking    individual,    evidently   some 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


385 


"three  sheets"  gone;  indeed,  he  was 
"  maudlin  drunk." 

The  conductor,  in  coming  around, 
gave  him  a  shove,  and  aroused  him  with 
a  short  "  Ticket,  sir !  " 

"  Aint  got  none,"  said  loafer. 

"  Pay  your  fare,  then." 

"  How  much  is  it  ?  "  demanded  the 
fellow. 

"  Where  are  you  going  to  ? "  inquired 
the  conductor. 

"  Guess  I'm— [hie] — goin'  [hie] — to 
the  devil ! "  spoke  loafer,  with  some 
air  of  truthfulness. 

"Then,"  said  the  conductor,  "pay 
your  fare  to  Renick— $5.70  !  " 


Drinkinsr  Success  to  the  First 
Bailway. 

In  1823  the  second  Stockton  and 
Darlington  Railway  Act  was  obtained 
from  Parliament  Mr.  Stephenson  was 
appointed  the  company's  engineer,  at  a 
salary  of  £300  per  annum.  He  laid  out 
every  foot  of  the  ground  himself,  ac- 
companied by  his  assistants.  He  sur- 
veyed indefatigably  from  daylight  to 
dusk,  dressed  in  top-boots  and  breeches, 
and  took  his  chance  of  bread  and  milk, 
or  a  homely  dinner,  at  some  neighbor- 
ing farmhouse ;  for  the  country  people 
were  fond  of  his  cheerful  talk.  One 
day,  when  the  works  were  approaching 
completion,  he  dined  at  Stockton,  and 
after  dinner  the  great  engineer  ordered 
in  a  bottle  of  wine,  to  drink  success  to 
the  railway.  He  then  said  to  the  young 
men  assembled  :  "  Now,  I  will  tell  you 
that  I  think  you  will  live  to  see  the 
day,  though  I  may  not  live  so  long, 
when  railways  will  come  to  supersede 
almost  all  other  methods  of  conveyance 
in  this  country ;  when  mail  coaches  will 
go  by  railway,  and  railroads  will  be- 
come the  great  highway  for  the  king 
and  all  his  subjects.  The  time  will 
come  when  it  will  be  cheaper  for  a 
workingman  to  travel  on  a  railway 
than  to  walk  on  foot.  I  know  that 
there  are  great  and  almost  insurmount- 
25 


able  obstacles  that  will  have  to  be  en- 
countered. But  what  I  have  said  will 
come  to  pass,  as  sure  as  I  am  now  alive. 
I  only  wish  I  may  live  to  see  the  day, 
though  that  I  can  scarcely  hope  for,  as 
I  know  how  slow  all  human  progress 
is,  and  with  what  difficulty  I  have  been 
able  to  get  the  locomotive  adopted, 
notwithstanding  my  more  than  ten 
years'  successful  experiment  at  Killing- 
worth."  The  anticipations  of  the  great 
engineer  were  more  than  realized.  At 
the  opening  of  the  road  in  question — 
the  first  public  railway — Mr.  Stephen- 
son himself  drove  the  engine.  The 
train  consisted  of  thirty-eight  vehicles, 
among  which  were  twenty-one  wagons 
fitted  up  with  temporary  seats  for  pas- 
sengers, and  a  carriage  filled  with  the 
directors  and  their  friends.  The  speed 
attained  in  some  parts  was  twelve  miles 
an  hour.  It  was  a  complete  success ; 
and  the  goods  and  passengers  soon 
exceeded  the  expectations  of  the  di- 
rectors. 

In  surveying  a  line  for  the  Liverpool 
and  Manchester  railway,  great  opposi- 
tion was  exhibited  on  the  part  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  lands  through  which 
the  line  was  to  pass.  Lord  Derby's 
farmers  and  servants,  and  Lord  Sefton's 
keepers,  turned  out  in  full  force  to  re- 
sist the  aggressions  of  the  surveying 
party.  The  Duke  of  Bridgewater's 
property-guard  threatened  to  duck  Mr. 
Stephenson  in  a  pond  if  he  proceeded ; 
and  he  had  to  take  the  survey  by 
stealth,    when    the    people    were    at 

dinner. 

« 

(Jhangre  of  •'  Packet  Day." 

To  show  what  was  the  nature  of  Pe- 
latiah  Perit's  influence  as  a  Christian, 
in  mercantile  circles,  and  how  much  of 
that  influence  was  the  effect  of  his  rare 
judgment  and  skill  in  dealing  with 
men,  an  illustration  is  afforded  in  the 
change  which  he  accomplished,  perhaps 
thirty  years  ago,  in  the  regulations  of 
the  packet-ships  sailing  from  the  port 
of  New  York. 


386 


COMMERCIAL  AND  BUSINESS  ANECDOTES. 


Formerly  the  packets  for  Liverpool 
and  other  trans-atlantic  ports  were  ad- 
vertised to  sail  regularly  on  certain 
days  of  the  month,  and  whenever  the 
appointed  days  for  sailing  fell  on  Sun- 
day, the  Christian  Sabbath  was  disre- 
garded. To  the  house  of  Goodhue  & 
Co.  this  was  an  inconvenience.  It  in- 
terfered with  the  Sabbath  of  the  part- 
ners, and  with  the  Sabbath  to  which 
their  clerks  and  other  employes  were 
entitled.  It  interfered  also  with  the 
religious  feelings  of  all  the  passengers 
who  honored  the  Christian  Sabbath, 
and  were  unwilling  to  violate  their 
consciences  by  commencing  a  voyage 
on  that  day.  At  the  same  time  it  in- 
terfered with  the  Sunday  rest— religi- 
ous or  irreligious — of  every  merchant, 
who  had  occasion  to  send  by  every 
packet,  the  latest  advices  to  his  corre- 
spondents beyond  the  sea.  But  the 
practice  was  a  settled  one,  and  how 
could  it  be  changed  ?  Tliose  were  the 
days  when  tide  and  time  waited  for  no 
man ;  and  was  not  the  sailing  of  a 
packet  ship  on  her  appointed  day,  even 
though  that  day  happened  to  fall  on 
Sunday,  a  work  of  necessity  and 
mercy  1 

How,  then,  should  the  ship-owners 
and  merchants,  many  of  whctai  had  no 
religious  regard  for  the  sanctity  of  the 
Sabbath,  be  brought  to  agree  ujjon  a 
change  1  Some  men  undertaking  such 
a  reform,  would  have  begun  with  a 
public  agitation  on  purely  moral  and 
religious  grounds,  and  with  denuncia- 
tion of  all  persons  implicated  in  up- 
holding the  existing  arrangement,  and 
the  result  would  have  been  a  failure. 
The  personal  influence  of  Mr.  Perit 
with  men  who,  whatever  may  have 
been  their  own  position  in  relation  to 
Christianity,  could  not  but  honor  his 
Christian  character,  was  such  that  he 
found  no  difllculty  in  effecting  a  new 
arrangement.  He  succeeded  in  con- 
vincing all  parties  that  the  change  of 
"packet  day,"  from  a  certain  day  of 
the  month  to  a  certain  day  of  the  week. 


was  no  infringement  of  any  man^s  reli- 
gious liberty,  and  was  required  not 
only  in  the  interest  of  religion  and 
Christian  morals,  but  also  in  the  in- 
terest of  merchants  and  their  clerks, 
and  in  the  general  interests  of  com- 
merce. 


Falmerston  and  the  Station-Uaster. 

At  one  of  the  chief  stations  on  the 
Great  Western  Railway,  England,  is  a 
station-master,  noted  for  self-conceit 
and  flunkeyism.  His  reverence  for  a 
person  with  a  handle  to  his  name  is 
equalled  only  by  the  esteem  in  which 
he  holds  himself.  One  day  he  descried 
a  gentleman  pacing  the  platform  with 
a  cigar  in  his  mouth — contrary  to  the 
rule.  OflScial  at  once  accosted  the  au- 
dacious offender,  and  requested  him 
forthwith  to  stop  smoking.  The  gen- 
tleman, absorbed  in  the  most  abstract 
thought,  took  no  notice  whatsoever  of 
his  command,  but  continued  his  walk 
with  the  utmost  nonchalance^  emitting 
a  silvery  cloud.  Irritated  by  this  diso- 
bedience, Official  repeated  his  behests 
more  peremptorily  than  before ;  but 
still  the  owner  of  the  Havana  maintain- 
ed a  provoking  disregard.  A  third  time 
the  order  was  repeated,  accompanied 
with  an  emphatic  threat  that  if  the  ob- 
stinate sinner  did  not  obey,  he  would 
at  once  be  collared  by  the  porters.  The 
stranger  took  no  more  heed  than  be- 
fore, and  so  at  last,  enraged  beyond  all 
further  patience,  Official  pulled  the  ci- 
gar out  of  the  smoker's  mouth  and  flung 
it  away.  This  violent  act  produced  no 
more  effect  than  the  previous  commands 
and  threats,  and  the  peripatetic  philos- 
opher continued  his  walk  with  imper- 
turbable serenity.  Presently  a  carriage 
and  four  drove  up,  an  equipage  well 
known  to  Official  as  that  of  the  Duke 
of  Beaufort.  To  his  now  inconceivable 
horror,  the  refractory  smoker  entered 
the  said  chariot,  and  drove  off  in  style 
to  Badminton.  Official  asked,  in  trem- 
ulous tones,  who  the  stranger  was,  and 


BUSINESS  TRANSIT  AND  COMMUNICATION. 


387 


he  felt  ready  to  sink  into  the  earth 
when  told  that  it  was  Viscount  Pal- 
merston,  K.  G.,  First  Lord  of  the 
Treasury.  He  did  not  hesitate  long, 
however;  he  at  once  ordered  a  chaise 
and  pair,  and  drove  oflf  to  Badminton. 
Arrived  there,  he  sent  in  his  card,  and 
urgently  requested  a  private  interview 
with  Lord  Palmerston.  His  lordship 
soon  appeared,  when  Official  began  a 
most  abject  apology  for  having  "so 
grossly  insulted  his  lordship  :  " 

"Had  I  known  who  your  lordship 
was,  I  would  not  have  so  treated  your 
lordship  for  the  world  1 " 

The  Premier  heard  the  station-mas- 
ter out,  then  looking  down  upon  him 
sternly,  and  with  his  hands  in  his  pock- 
ets, said : 

"  Sir,  I  respected  you  because  I 
thought  you  were  doing  your  duty  like 
a  Briton ;  but  now  I  see  you  are  noth- 
ing but  a  snob." 


Captain  Macalester  and  his  Fast  Ship 
"Fanny." 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  the  shipwrights  of  Philadel- 
phia had  attained  great  celebrity  for 
the  beauty  of  the  models  of  their  ves- 
sels, which  united,  in  a  remarkable  de- 
gree, celerity  in.  sailing  and  fitness  for 
the  purposes  of  commerce.  Among  the 
most  skilful  of  these  was  Mr.  Grice. 
Captain  Macalester — eminent  as  a  ship- 
master and  subsequently  as  a  merchant 
— engaged  him  to  construct  a  ship, 
called  the  "  Fanny,"  in  building  which 
Mr.  Grice  exhibited  his  ablest  skill  in 
the  adaptation  of  the  principles  of  na- 
val architecture,  and  Captain  Macales- 
ter added  the  suggestions  derived  from 
his  own  experience  as  a  practical  and 
observing  navigator.     The  result  was 


that  the  "Fanny,"  when  laimched' 
proved  to  be  the  fastest  sailing  mer- 
chantman of  the  day.  Captain  Mac- 
alester accomplished  his  first  voyage  in 
her,  from  Philadelphia  to  Cowes  in  the 
Isle  of  Wight,  in  seventeen  days,  a  ra- 
pidity of  passage  of  which  there  was  no 
previous  record.  He  took  with  him,  as 
passengers  on  that  occasion,  the  weal- 
thy and  distinguished  merchant  of 
Philadelphia  and  Senator  of  the  United 
States,  Mr.  William  Bingham,  with  his 
beautiful  and  accomplished  wife.  It  is 
probable  that  this  incident  was  the 
foundation  of  a  particularly  friendly 
intercourse,  which,  from  his  corre- 
spondence, appears  to  have  existed  be- 
tween him  and  Mr.  Alexander  Baring 
(afterward  Lord  Ashburton),  who  was 
the  son-in-law  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bing- 
ham, 

In  London,  Captain  Macalester  en- 
gaged to  make  a  voyage  in  the  "  Fan- 
ny "  to  Batavia  and  back.  What  was 
the  surprise  of  the  consignees  of  his 
vessel  in  London,  when  he  presented 
himself  in  their  counting  house,  having 
accomplished  the  entire  voyage  in  sev- 
en months  and  twenty  days,  a  speed, 
at  that  time,  without  a  parallel.  It 
was  in  the  course  of  this  voyage  that 
he  was  chased  by  a  British  frigate, 
which  fell  in  with  him  at  daylight  in 
the  morning,  but  could  not  overtake 
him  until  ten  o'clock  at  night.  When 
the  British  boarding  officer  stepped 
upon  his  deck,  he  said  to  Captain  Mac- 
alester : 

"  Sir,  you  have  a  very  fast  ship." 

"  I  thought  so  until  to-day,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  Our  frigate,"  answered  the  officer, 
"is  reputed  to  be  the  fastest  in  the 
navy,  and  we  never  before  have  had 
such  a  chase." 


End  op  Vol.  I. 


•.'f^TQCF^  'jlS;«P" 


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